


Royal Pain

by Kiwiscel



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Badass Asami Sato, Bolin & Asami Sato Friendship, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Korrasami - Freeform, Princess Asami, modernishroyalty, princess korra, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:27:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25766698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiwiscel/pseuds/Kiwiscel
Summary: Asami is a princess from Galstonia who is set to marry Mako from Republia. The only thing is she’s sworn to never care for anyone ever again after her mother’s death. Not falling for Mako wouldn’t be a problem, but falling for someone else might be. Korra is Mako’s sister, who tends to the animals. Upon hearing of Asami’s arrival, Korra doesn’t expect much of her. In fact Korra already despises Asami. After all she knows the princess type really well. Only after their meeting does Korra realize Asami isn’t like other princess, she’s different. Korra doesn’t know what to do with that information, but soon enough she will.
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Korrasami, Lin Beifong/Kya (Avatar)
Comments: 88
Kudos: 228





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys I’m new to the whole writing fanfic thing, so give me a break. I would love to hear some constructive criticism and also just how you like the story. This story is heavily inspired and modeled by Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. I really love that book, and I love Korrasami sm, so why not. Anyways let me know what you think in the comments and leave some Kudos or whatever 😌 :)

“That’s okay Ingrid, I got it.” Asami insisted, as she raced over to help the older lady sweep the rest of the dust pile in the dustpan. The older lady stood up from bending down, in relief. She wiped a hand across her forehead, clearly exhausted, and whispered a low “thanks” to Asami. 

As much as Ingrid hated to admit it, she wasn’t as young as she used to be. She started working for the Satos ever since Asami was a baby. Nearly 21 years later here she was doing the same mundane cleaning tasks. Where did the time go?

“You know when he’s not around you don’t have to do all of this. You know I don’t expect that of you, Ingrid. Why don’t you just take the week off, or until he gets back.” Asami smiled, dumping the dustpan in the garbage. 

Hiroshi was away for two weeks in hopes to solidify the deal in the works with Republia. Asami was to marry the Republian prince, Mako, if things went according to plan that is. After some digging and asking around, Asami found out he was a real looker, he didn’t have the best attitude, and he was slightly reserved. What prince didn’t have an attitude though? She knew this from her years of castle balls her father forced her to attend for diplomacy purposes. At those so called balls, plenty of princes have tried winning her over. The idea of men chasing after her was insufferable. Even if a rather charming man caught her eye, Asami knew better than to feed in. Her father aimed for her to marry for strategic purposes only, so there was no point. The thought of marrying for strategy, or even marrying at all, made Asami sick to her stomach. 

Asami was independent and perfectly fine with being alone. She didn’t want some man to get in the way of her life and complicate things. A marriage has a certain set of expectations and commitment that she really didn’t want to meet. Too many expectations unmet was surely a recipe for disaster. She knew that after years of living with Hiroshi. She was given so many things to master, in efforts to be the perfect wife and diplomat to her future husband. According to Hiroshi, she had to be kind, knowledgeable, and assertive. Being Mako’s wife meant down the line she could be queen, and being queen held a whole world of responsibilities. The only escapes she had from the classes and training Hiroshi forced her to attend was engineering and fighting. In the free time she had, she would always be either under the hood of a car, or giving a punching bag the old one-two. 

“You’re too good to me, Asami.” Ingrid cheered, as she left the room with a nod. Asami and Ingrid have fallen into a routine. Asami always lets staff off when Hiroshi id away. Ingrid knows not to argue when given the opportunity to have time off. 

Asami never liked the idea other people cleaning, cooking, and caring for her. The idea just seemed outrageous, seeing as she was capable of taking care of herself. So why burden others? She felt for the staff so much, they were practically family to her. Any chance she got to give them the day or week off, she took it. If it was up to her, she wouldn’t have servants or maids, as her father called them. Having them made it seem like she was too good to do simple tasks, like she was stuck up.. and that she was not.

Later on Asami ran away to the garden, her only other escape. It was lightly raining, but she didn’t seem to care much. Sitting down, she ran her hands through the rain drop filled grass. This was the spot where her mom would always take her to show her the stars and the many constellations that riddle the sky. She’s gone to that same spot ever since her mom died. 

A rebel bending group attacked Galstonia, despite the fact that bending was forbidden across all lands. This attack was supposedly in the works for months. The benders managed to infiltrate from the inside. No one ever found out who, but someone high up in Galstonia snuck the benders in. The attack left several casualties, including her mom. She was only 7 at the time, and completely heartbroken. 

No matter how hard Asami tried to move on from her mom, she never could. Her mom was her favorite person in the world, and she made everything better. Even her father was a kind and gentle person when she was alive. She brought light to her life, and even to the castle. As soon as she passed, the light, happy atmosphere was taken with her. Ever since then Asami’s father’s been cold and withdrawn. He buried himself in his king duties. Losing someone like that certainly took its toll. 

Losing her mom took a toll on her too. Asami swore to never care for another as deeply as she cared for her mom again, because everyone she seemed to care for got ripped from her hands. Let’s just say if the marriage with Mako was ago, it would be one sided. She wouldn’t let herself care for him. She definitely wouldn’t fall for him, that’s for sure.


	2. Preparing For Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!! Thanks for sticking with me so far! I posted this really late bc I’m becoming addicted to writing ahhh. Don’t worry, Korra will be introduced in the next chapter and maybe Korra and Asami might meet? Who knows ;) Please leave some comments, I love hearing from you guys.

Asami’s father arrived back a week later with the news. Republia confirmed the agreement, so she would in fact be marrying Mako. Asami hated the idea, but she knew she had no choice in the matter. She figured that if she’s really going to marry this Mako character, the least she could do is make the best of her time in Republia. She couldn’t deny the idea of no one there knowing Asami Sato sounded appealing.This was the perfect opportunity to start with a clean slate. Maybe she could even make some friends.

Asami didn’t exactly have the best track record with so called “friends”, or even mere acquaintances. Every single friendship was ruined before it could blossom. She was told it was because she was either “too scandalous”, or “not normal enough” to keep around. Galstonia was a rather gossip filled town, so everyone knew what everyone else was up to. Let’s just say word got around fast. Asami found that out the hard way when she told her short lived “best friend” that she had a crush on another girl in their grade. At the time she hadn’t quite realized not everyone was as open to the idea of a girl having a crush on a girl, but boy did that news spread like wildfire. The next thing she knew, no one would dare sit with her at lunch. She decided with everyone in town being hypocritical gossips, it’s safe to say she didn’t miss out on any life changing friendships. 

Come to think of it, getting away from the gloomy, Galstonia would do her some good. Maybe leaving was exactly what she needed to move on from her mother’s death. Every single day that insufferable castle reminds her of just that. She loved remembering her mom of course, but she despised remembering the gruesome murder. She hated being reminded everyday that her mom wasn’t with her anymore.

Maybe in her leaving, the nightmares would even fade away. At least she hoped as much. She’s had reoccurring nightmares ever since that horrible day. Nightmares she wouldn’t dare to wish on even her worst enemy. Her father always scolded her when she got her infamous nightmares, like she chose to have them.

“You’ll have a year and a half to adjust before the wedding takes place.” Hiroshi explained, before leaving Asami to process the news. She huffed in relief. She was under the impression she would be rushed straight into the wedding gown as soon as she arrived. 

A year and a half. This is good, it leaves plenty of time to adjust. Plenty of time to create a new name for herself. Plenty of time to finally heal.This was exactly what she needed. Of course the whole marrying Mako side of it was unfortunate, but maybe she could grow to like him, or maybe at least tolerate him. She definitely couldn’t see herself loving him... The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Getting that close was just a recipe for heartbreak anyways. She decided she would keep him at just the right distance. Far, but not too far. She didn’t want her marriage to fall apart, or did she? 

—-

Asami was left two days to pack before her departure for Republia. She couldn’t help but feel giddy at the opportunity for a fresh, new start. New friends. A new life. A new start. She heard great things about Republia. Everyone she asked talked of breathtaking views and warm, kind people. Now those were the type of people she would want as friends. 

Asami being the organized and responsible person she is, decided to knock out the packing right now. She rummaged through her closet to find her purple suitcases. Suitcases plural, as in three large suitcases. Asami’s wardrobe was vast, and seeing as she’d practically be moving to Republia, she figured it’d be best to not skip out on being extra in the clothing department. She knew she would most likely be provided with more clothing upon arrival, but she liked her clothes too much to leave them behind. She even goes as far as considering herself somewhat of a fashionista, and the size of her filled closet definitely showed that. 

After two hours of packing, she was finally done. She had three slam packed suitcases to show for that. She practically had to sit on the third one to get it to zip all the way. 

Now that the packing was all done, she would have more than enough time to say goodbye. Her most important stop was to her mom’s gravestone. As she arrived, her hand brushed the leaves and grass clippings away from mom’s grave. 

“I miss you so much mom.” She let out a shakily as her hands traced over the “Yasuko Sato” engraving. 

“I might not be here for our daily chats for a while.” She paused, wiping the streaming tears from her warm cheeks. By talks she of course meant her everyday run down on what’s happening. Somedays she would ask for advice, sometimes she would just sit there in silence. She knew she may have looked crazy to any onlooker, but she honestly didn’t care. She understood more than anyone that her mom was gone from this earth, but her mom’s gravestone always felt comforting. Being around her grave almost felt like she was face to face with her mom again. There was a certain warmth surrounding the stone, a warmth Asami couldn’t exactly scientifically explain. She liked to think it was maybe her mom looking over her, comforting her.

“I’m getting married mom. I’m actually getting married.” She chuckled in between sobs. After a few laughs, she covered her mouth to stop. 

“I wish I could say it’s some guy I fell in love with, but we know that would be hard to believe. Father has arranged for me to marry a man named Mako in efforts to form an alliance with Republia.” Asami sighed, finally deciding to sit down crisscross next to her mom’s grave. 

“I really really really don’t want to leave you, but alas I must get married. I’m actually looking forward to the moving to Republia part. I’ve heard great things. Even Ingrid told me she thinks it’s a great place.” She smiled at the mention of Ingrid, knowing her mother always adored her. She would say goodbye to her right before she left. 

“I just want you to know I’m definitely not leaving for good, so this isn’t goodbye. I’m coming back. I’ll always make time to visit you, no matter how busy things get at Republia. I-.” Her voice breaks off.

“I just want you to know I love you. I know I’ll be miles and miles away, but you’ll always be with me here.” She pointed in the direction of her heart. 

“I know I know, how cliche?” She chuckled, knowing if her mom was there she would find the whole cheesy moment funny. 

“Bye mom, I love you.” She kissed her hand and placed it gently on the grave. As she turned the warmth surrounding the grave moved in a split second to her shoulder. Asami skidded to a stop at the new warmth pressed against her shoulder. Her tear riddled eyes widened. The warmth was hovering around the exact spot where her mom used to place her hand whenever Asami needed assurance and comforting. Asami placed her hand over the warmth, as she always used to do with her mom.

“I’ll be back mom.” She smiled, knowing exactly what just happened. Asami wasn’t a super religious person at all, but this wasn’t something she could write off. Something she didn’t want to write off. The idea that her mom was somewhere out there looking out for her comforted her. 

“And you’re right, everything’s going to be just fine.” Asami sighed contentedly as she walked away, feeling hopeful for the first time in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you thought. Get ready for the next chapter bc Korra will be introduced. Ahh this is gonna be one heck of a slow burn. Also I don’t have to whole story planned out just yet, but I have a general idea. Uhh yeah see ya next chapter :)


	3. The Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks again for giving my story a chance! Please leave someone comments, I love hearing from you guys. It can literally be about anything, just comment below :)) I hope you enjoy Asami and Korra meeting. Do keep in mind that this is sort of an enemies to lovers slow burn. I’ll try not to drag it out too long, but you’ll just have to wait and see 🥰

Asami’s fingers drummed against her suitcase as the car pulled up. This was it, she was finally leaving. She let a shaky breath fall out before turning to Ingrid. 

“I’m going to miss you so much. Please take care of mom’s grave while I’m gone.” Asami muttered, wrapping the older lady in a long, warm embrace.

“And I’ll miss you, darling. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything.” Ingrid smiled, as she broke apart from the hug, shooing her towards the car. 

“Go along, you don’t want to be late for your first day. I heard prince Mako is somewhat of a looker.” Ingrid chuckled, just as Hiroshi stepped towards Asami. This would be interesting.

Asami stood in place, unsure if she should hug her father. She absentmindedly twiddled her fingers, waiting for Hiroshi to speak. He looked almost sad for a second, before he regained his composure.

“Asami, what you’re doing for Galstonia will not go unnoticed. You’re doing us a great favor. I only hope you won’t mess this up.” Hiroshi patted her on the shoulder.

Asami’s eyebrow shot up in response to his choice of words. Her father really had a way with words, didn’t he.. She thought for beat if she should respond back, but doing so would just spoil her mood. His poor attempt at a “heartwarming goodbye” fell way short, but surely in his mind he would’ve thought he knocked it out of the park. 

“Goodbye, father.” She muttered, before she entered the car, quickly shutting the door behind her.

With the door shut, the sound drowned out. She was left in silence, before the engine roared to life. The action brought a smile to her face. Nothing like the good old roar of an engine in the morning. She desperately wanted to be driving, but she knew for a fact that wouldn’t happen. All she could do is sit back and wait until they arrived. 

—

After an excruciatingly long drive, they finally arrived. Asami’s nerves were going crazy. She couldn’t mess this first meeting up, she had to make a good first impression. She took a long moment to calm her nerves. 

”Cool, calm, and collected.” She muttered to herself under her breath. 

She smoothed out the few wrinkles in her dress and let out a shaky breath before she regained her composure. She opened the door to face two people and a large polar bear dog. She shut the door behind her, as the engine sputtered to a halt. A loud bang sounded. That sometimes happened when turning off the engine. The polar bear dog had a name tag that read “Naga.”, Asami noticed as Naga’s eyes widened and her ears perked.

Before she could even react, Naga came barreling towards her. She looked out for blood. The reason for that, Asami didn’t know. She had met a polar bear dog before, and he certainly wasn’t hostile. Then again, maybe all of the commotion and foreign noises struck a nerve. 

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground with a sharp pain in her abdomen. She held a hand to it, only to quickly realize she couldn’t breathe. Panic rose quickly, as she suddenly forgot how to breath. 

Before she could panic anymore, an arm fell on her stomach, gathering her attention. What felt like electricity surged to her stomach through the contact. Asami saw almost piercing blue eyes look at her through thick eyelashes. It’s like she was looking into the great blue sea. She couldn’t breathe, but looking into those eyes felt like a breath of fresh air. 

The recollection came shortly after. Low and behold she saw none other than the girl who was holding Naga. She felt a pang of annoyance towards her for not having better control on Naga, but that annoyance shortly fell as she realized it’s a probably 3x her body weight polar bear dog in question. 

“It’s alright.” The stranger breathed, moving Asami’s eyeline to the her hand. Her stomach felt surprisingly warm against her hand. The sensation of the stranger’s hand against her stomach caused her pain to temporarily leave, because all Asami could think about was how good it felt to have the stranger’s hands there. She shook away the thoughts, refocusing on the problem at hand. 

“Just relax, slow and even breathing. In and out.” The stranger demonstrated, removing her hand after she explained. The warmth that was present with her hand left. Her stomach suddenly felt cold and the pain was present once again.

Her soothing voice and demonstration seemed to do the trick. Asami let out a few shaky breaths, before they smoothed out in puffs. In hopes to regain her composure, she went to stand, only to have the girl across from her help her to her feet. The shock she experienced before returned. As she was brought up, she glanced into those ocean blue eyes again. She could get lost in those, in fact she did. The nameless girl seemed to notice her staring.

Before Asami could thank her, she ran after Naga to recapture her and calm her down. Looks like she’s been doing a lot of calming others down. The stranger seemed to be good at it. As the mystery girl ran back to where she stood before, she was shaking her hands off. It was almost like she had something on her hands she wanted off. This girl was a mystery alright. A mystery Asami was interested in taking a crack at solving. 

—

Korra’s hands felt like millions of pins and needles entering her skin. The whole Naga accident sparked her bending, as she instinctively tried to shove a water barrier in between the princess and Naga. Korra thankfully stopped that action, seeing as bending is banned from being used. 

Korra couldn’t help but be annoyed with the new girl, she practically just got here and she was already ruining things. Of course she was, she’s a princess after all. 

Korra has an unspoken hatred for princesses, even though she was one. After her recent short lived relationship with a princess from Halgonna, she swore off princesses. Even the thought of having another princess waltzing through her home shot those same pins and needles down her arms. 

Korra calmed her self down as Mako approached her. She was about to need all the calmness in the world for what she was about to encounter, seeing the look on his face. After years of knowing him, she knew exactly what it meant. 

Korra, Mako, and Bolin were childhood best friends. They were practically inseparable, until Mako and Bolin’s parents died. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but Senna and Tonraq adopted them. The people of Republia respected Tonraq more than anything, so when they found out about the adoption, they were shocked to say the least. In royal history, it wasn’t known for the king and queen to adopt. It was a controversial topic for many years. The talk of the town if you will. 

After years of Mako and Bolin being officially in the family, talk of Mako and Bolin becoming princes became a common topic. Of course it wasn’t ideal, since they weren’t related through blood, but they were the only option. Tonraq and Senna were surprisingly both only children with little to no relatives, so that left no male to succeed the throne. Republic preferred the adopted Mako and Bolin over Korra taking over, and so did Korra. 

Korra hated everything about royalty. She thought it was so stupid that a king and a queen ruled over everyone else. The fact that everyone else blindly followed and adored them didn’t help. Being a princess, or even a future queen was certainly something she didn’t want, and everyone knew that. Korra wasn’t exactly the model daughter, or model princess after all. She would leave important meetings, break curfew, and even get involved romantically with women. Of course that wasn’t a problem, but many in Republia had a problem with it. 

“What the hell, Korra. I told you to keep Naga in check. Were you trying to get rid of the lovely princess Asami before she even steps foot in the castle?” Mako teased, before rushing over to Asami. Although it felt more like a jab to Korra than anything.

”I wasn’t exactly planning on getting rid of her that easily, but it certainly can be arranged.” Korra smirked mischievously, know this certainly would get under Asami’s skin. She’s probably used to having everyone chase after her and fall at her feet. Korra definitely wouldn’t be one of those people. By the looks of Asami’s eyes, it’s fair to say she succeeded in scaring her. 

Of course Mako would see this entire altercation as her fault, even though the engine sputtering to a stop is what caused it. If anything it was Asami’s fault, since she decided to take a car rather than a horse and carriage. Even if it is a bit outdated, it would’ve been more ideal, especially since the “princess of Galnovia” decided to pack her entire wardrobe. 

“Rich kid perks.” She signed under her breath. Korra didn’t care about money, so she didn’t have many earthly possessions to her name. She of course couldn’t say the same for Mako and Bolin. They both came from rags, so when they moved into riches, they went all out. She remembers when Bolin once bought the entire menu at the local restaurant, “Narook's Seaweed Noodlery.” 

“Are you okay?” Mako asked Asmai with concern. 

“Yeah, I’m totally fine, thanks. This was one heck of a welcoming.” She glared at Korra almost as if she heard what Korra just muttered under her breath. 

“Korra is sorry about letting Naga go, aren’t you Korra?” Mako smiled brightly, as he jabbed his elbow in her side. Korra grimaced, with a cough. 

“Yeah, yeah, totally my bad. It wasn’t Naga who knocked you down or anything. And it’s not like the car scared her.” She trailed off before stopping herself, seeing Mako give her the death glare. She knew she couldn’t mess this up for him.

“I’m also sorry, but it wasn’t Korra’s fault!” Korra mimicked a “Naga” voice, moving Naga’s head to pretend she was talking. Asami surprisingly shook her head and chuckled at the action. Korra hates that she made her laugh. Most of all she hated how enchanting her laugh was. Waving a hand in protest, Asami smiled. 

“It’s fine, it’s nice to see things aren’t boring around here.” 

“Oh trust me things definitely aren’t boring around here.” Mako laughed. 

A combination of Bolin and Korra kept things quite interesting, especially when Bolin and Korra’s friends are involved.

“Mako, you should probably show her the castle and Bolin. He can’t wait to meet you.” Korra mentioned, as she was reeling to get away from the pair. This was certainly enough princess for her today. 

“Alright, off to Bolin and the castle!” Mako declared, as he motioned his hand forward. The pair walked off towards the castle.

“Oh and it was nice meeting you, Korra.” Asmai called back before they walked too far away from Korra.

“I do wish I could say the same. I’ll be seeing you around.” Korra eyed her up and down, while she mounted Naga and zoomed past them.

Asami was left breathless, like the first time she laid eyes on Korra. Maybe Asami needed to work on her conversation skills, because Korra clearly didn’t like her.

“Come on, don’t worry about her. I want you to meet Bolin.” Mako tugged at Asami’s arm.

“Alright, lead the way.” Asami motioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! What do you guys think about the characters so far? Bolin is up next, and of course Bolin is going to be just as loveable as he was on the show. Also, I know it’s weird for Mako and Bolin to be adopted bc the whole royalty aspect wouldn’t necessarily allow that, but I feel like them being adopted works best for the story.


	4. Hold Your Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami meets Bolin, who is set to give her a tour. Something unexpected happens when they make it to the Stables.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy! Thanks for coming back :) I tried making this longer, so please please give me some comments or feedback. Comments are literally my favorite thing. Also sorry for any mistakes, it’s a long chapter, so after three times reading through, I just let it be. Anyways, I’ll let you go on and read.  
> *Btw this chapter has some Korra and Asami interactions 🥰*

Mako lead her into the entryway of the castle. Before they could open the door, it burst open. A slightly shorter, younger man appeared in front of them with a large, cheesy smile plastered to his face. His hair was short and styled with gel, different from Mako’s spiky look he had going on. A single curl fell above his forehead. He looked strikingly similar to Mako, so it of course had to be Bolin. Just with one look at him, Asami could tell Bolin was a sweet guy. He had kind features, and he just looked like he was a goof ball, with his chubby cheeks and deep dimples. The cheesy smile of course helped. Asmai immediately felt drawn to him. Maybe she could be good friends with Bolin, he seemed like a sweet guy.

“You must be princess Asami. Mako didn’t want me to overwhelm you with my sweet, charismatic, loveable, and charming presence when you first stepped foot in Republia. I guess he thought I would steal the thunder.” Bolin bragged, puffing our his chest before wrapping her in a warm embrace, slightly lifting her off the ground. Asmai sank into the embrace, with a laugh. He reminded her of a big teddy bear.

“Bolin, we don’t want to suffocate her on the first day, now do we?” Mako patted Bolin on the shoulder, as Asami was released from his hug.

“Oh, he’s fine. You must be Bolin?” Asami smiled broadly, waving off Mako.

“Yeah, I’m the cooler, younger brother. I’m also much friendlier than this guy.” Bolin jokingly poked Mako on the chest.

“I’m friendly— and cool.”

“Pftt I’d say you’re worse than Korra in the whole friendly department, so I wouldn’t call you friendly exactly.” Bolin chuckled, leaving Asami confused. She hasn’t exactly figured out the relationship of Mako, Bolin, and Korra. She must’ve been a good friend of theirs.

“Ohh did you get the chance to meet her? If so, I apologize on her behal-“ Bolin started, before Mako interrupted him.

“Asami met Korra earlier. Naga kind of knocked Asami down when she first arrived.” Mako explained to Bolin, catching him up to speed. Mako turned from Bolin toward Asami. His eyes visibly soften in almost what looked like a plea.

“Look I know our sister, Korra can be a bit of a character when you first meet her, but you just have to give her some time to open up.” Mako almost begged with his pleading eyes.

“W- what.. Korra’s your sister?” Asami puzzled with shock. She hadn’t heard much from people she asked about Mako. They only mentioned his looks and attitude. Nothing about a sister ever came up. That was weird.

“Yeah, she’s our adopted sister. She tends to the animals.” Mako mentioned, just before her eyebrow quirked up. How was that even possible?

“I know you must be confused, so I’ll do a quick rundown—“ Mako started, before Bolin pushed him aside.

“Basically to make a long story short, we were childhood best friends with princess Korra, practically joined at the hip. Our parents died when we were young, so we were pretty much living on the streets until Korra’s parents, the king and queen, adopted us. Basically the whole rags to riches thing. It took us a while to be accepted by Republia, and even longer for them to allow us the “prince” title.” Bolin explained, gasping for air.

“Thanks for interrupting, Bolin.” Mako rolled his eyes with a huff. Asami’s beginning to think they get on each other’s nerves a lot. She never had siblings, so watching the siblings bicker would be fun. It would give her a taste of what having a sibling would be like.

“Sorry, I like explaining our story. It’s how we became who we are today. It’s our origin story.” Bolin sighed.

This was a whole lot to process for Asami. She had never once heard of adoption into a royal family. Adoption in itself was rare, but then again she knew all to well that when there’s something a king and queen want, they get it. Asmai had first glance at what corruption was like by overlooking her father. He had lots of shady operations that he thought he was slick about, but Asami wasn’t stupid. She had been doing some digging before she left, but didn’t get enough intel to figure out exactly what he was up to.

“Thanks for giving me your origin story, maybe sometime I’ll tell you mine.” Asami smiles at Bolin. She knew telling someone about your past was an big deal, so she’s glad Bolin already trusted her enough with the information. She made a mental note to tell Bolin her “origin story” later. It would be good to open up to at least someone, and she felt like she could do just that with Bolin.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why exactly is Korra tending to the animals? Usually princesses my age are either taking diplomatic classes, or are already getting married off.”

Maybe she had her work cut out for her, because the differences in Republia and Galnovia were already showing. It must be some sort of culture shock, because the new information all gave Asami a headache, but she pushed for answers nonetheless. She was trying to figure out this Korra character after all.

“Like I sort of mentioned before, Korra isn’t exactly the best at first impressions with people. A few years ago mom and dad tried to get her married off, but apparently she didn’t give off a good first impression, so everyone refused. Ever since the rejections, mom and dad gave her some space.” Mako sighs, as if her not marrying off is a waste of potential. Mako stopped to see if Asami was following, and she nodded her head for him to continue on. She was following so far, even though it was a bit confusing.

“She manages the animals now, which seems to keep her out of trouble.. for the most part. If she was smart she would pick someone to marry fast before mom and dad force her to marry for alliance purposes. It’s only a matter of time. But.. at least the alliance will force her to do something with herself” Mako continued, shaking his head. It sounded like he was disappointed with Korra.

Asami couldn’t help but feel envy towards her. Korra had choices. Asami really didn’t have a choice in this marriage. She wished she had the courage to refuse to marry someone she didn’t love, but she didn’t. Her father practically forced her, anyways. And as much as she desperately hated it, she still wanted to please her father. She also had her people on Galstonia to think about. It was part of her duty as a princess to do whatever it takes to protect her people and secure their safety. So she hated that Korra was so stubborn when she was living the dream.

“I think Korra should do as she pleases, it’s not right to marry someone you don’t love.” Bolin interjected, causing Mako to wince. She could tell Bolin didn’t mean to offend Mako at the statement, he was merely defending Korra. Asami caught the sight of Mako’s face and realized it struck a nerve for him. Maybe he didn’t want to marry her just as much as she didn’t want to marry him.

“Uhh that’s not what I meant” Bolin corrected quickly.

A messenger opened the door, interfering before anyone else could say anything. He whispered a message to Mako in a hushed tone. Mako nodded to the messenger in thanks, before turning to Asami.

“I’m sorry there’s some business I need to attend to.” Mako reached for Asami’s hand and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles. She was expecting to feel flustered, or even butterflies at least, but she had no reaction. She mustered up a giddy smile. She didn’t want to ruin this marriage.

“Bolin, I trust you can show Asami around?”

“Yes, of course! It would be my pleasure.” Bolin nodded to Mako in agreement. Mako understood, and walked off to the doorway, before turning around slowly.

“Oh and I’ll see you later tonight. Mom and dad prepared a welcoming feast for you. There will also be some people I want you to meet tomorrow at breakfast.” Mako explained.

Asami wasn’t expecting to already be meeting the parents, or even having a welcoming dinner. That kind of stuff was nerve racking for Asami. She always worries about making sure she makes a good first impression, and tonight everyone would be focused on her. As much as she loves attention, she didn’t want all eyes on her when she’s still hasn’t assessed everyone yet. She liked to have the chance to judge people before they judged her, but looks like the tables would be turned tonight.

“I’ll see you then.” Asami curtsied, immediatelyregretting it. That was way too formal, it’s not like it was the 1700s. Gee she was rusty. Mako bowed back with a smile to make her feel better. Bolin muffled a snicker at the action.

Things were quite different in Republia. While Galstonia was stuck in their proper social etiquette ways, Republia seemed more laid back. Every interaction was smooth and carefree, other than the arguments of course. Luckily she hasn’t had to hear many of those. She felt awkward, not knowing how to act during conversations. She was used to constantly having her guard up, ready to curtsy when needed and forced to laugh at every joke. The etiquette she learned would be hard to forget. Now she would have to learn the etiquette of Republia. Asami was flustered because of Republia’s social ways, but she wasn’t too worried about the divide, as she was a quick learner after all.

“What do you say we get going on this tour?” Bolin cheered, practically jogging out of the room towards the exit, dragging Asami along with him.

—

Korra just got done fixing Naga’s stable. The latch on her stable door had been broken the night before, resulting in a midnight Naga hunt. Naga was a well trained polar bear dog, but when she got spooked by something, she was one to get the hell out of doge, or charge full force. That reminded Korra of the earlier situation with Naga.

Korra couldn’t believe Naga knocked that princess down, it was hilarious. Not that Asami being hurt was hilarious, but the action itself was quite comical. Thinking about it more now, Korra pelt bad laughing at Asami getting hurt. Even though it wasn’t really her fault, Korra felt guilt turn in her stomach. She made a mental note to make sure she’s alright. She didn’t like her, being a princess and all, but she didn’t want her to be hurt. After all, Korra knew exactly what being charged at by Naga felt like.

_Korra wasn’t supposed to be up this time of night, but with the first snowstorm of the year, she couldn’t help but stay up. She grabbed her boots from next to the fire and put them on. They were warm and toasty after being placed next to the fire. She shrugged on her coat, and tiptoed out of the castle. She made sure to shut the door quietly._

_Korra wandered out maybe a mile before she saw movement. Her eyes readjusted to see nothing. Before she knew it, a white animal was charging at her. The impact felt like a punch to the gut, but 5x harder. After the impact, she couldn’t breathe. She panicked at first, but then she pushed her hand against her stomach in an in and out motion. She calmed, and slowly regained her breathing ability. The motion seemed to remind her how to breathe. She stood up slowly, reaching her hand in her pocket to grab hold of the snack on her pocket. She held the snack out towards Naga. Naga cowered away, scared of the strangers movements._

_“_ _Hey, it’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you. I just wanna be friends” Korra whispered softly, slowly stepping closer with the snack still held out. Korra may have been a toddler at the time, but she knew how to approach an animal._

_Naga smelled the snack and slowly walked closer to Korra with hesitation. Her hunger finally gave in and she chomped at the snack. Korra smiled at the action._

_Korra walked off, realizing that was enough action for the night. She make it a few feet until realizing she was lost. The storm impaired her vision dramatically. The best thing she could do, would be to create a shelter. With no one around, she had full opportunity to use her bending to create a makeshift shelter. She moved her hands to create an igloo. It took her a while, as she was new at bending. She had to teach herself, so it took time._

_Walking into the igloo, Naga followed her in. Korra visibility brightened at the sight. She wasn’t alone after all. She was getting kind of scared with no one being around. She sure got herself in quite the situation._

_Korra tried to make a fire with her bending, butshe couldn’t quite manage to get it to last. Naga must have noticed her frustration and curled around her. The warmth of Naga encircled Korra. This was all the warmth she needed. Korra knew then and there she and Naga would be best friends._

Korra sighed at the memory. Naga’s been with her since she was a kid and they’ve been inseparable since. Of course all the convincing in the world wouldn’t get her mom and dad to let Naga sleep in her room. But... that didn’t stop Korra from sleeping in the stable with her every now and then.

“We gotta work on your people skills, don’t we? I probably need to work on being less of a jerk when I first meet someone. People don’t seem to like me when they meet me.” Korra sighed, before jumping when she saw sight of two figures at the entryway. She placed a hand on her heart, before focusing on the two people who startled her. Asami and Bolin. She did not like the sight of that.

“Talking to ourselves, are we Korra?” Bolin teased, as he walked closer to pet Naga. 

“I personally think you made quite the first impression.” Asami chuckled. Korra ignored the statement and turned to Bolin. 

“Pfft I was talking to Naga. She’s actually a great conversationalist. Maybe even better than you.” Korra jabbed back at Bolin for his previous statement.

Korra saw Asami wander to a nearby animal. She sure let herself feel at home, didn’t she? Asami wouldn’t know what tending to a stable would be like if it hit her in the face, she probably had her servants clean everything for her. Korra moved her focus to Bolin.

“So why are you guys here?” Korra grumbled, nodding her head towards Asami. Bolin was quite accustomed to Korra’s attitude towards princesses and just her attitude in general, but Korra was usually chill around Bolin. 

“We just came to stop by. I’m giving Asami here the grand tour” Bolin motioned to Asami, as Asami moved towards Naga to pet her. 

“Well I’m sure there’s more exciting pl-“ Korra started. 

“Oww!!” Asami cried out, causing Korra and Bolin to rush over.

Asami was hunched over, clutching her hand. Her face was scrunched in pain. Her eyes reached for Bolin and Korra’s in plea. Korra didn’t realize it upon their first meeting, but Asami’s eyes were super green, almost an emerald green, but lighter. When her gaze flicked to Korra, her heart almost melted on the spot. Her gaze while panicked and immediate, was soft. So soft she would cause whatever she was looking to turn to jello. 

Korra shook her head to break the trance of her magical eyes. She shouldn’t be feeling this way, she was supposed to give the new princess a hard time, not melt to a puddle when the princess looked at her. Korra softly grabbed her clutched hand and examined it. The touch sent lightning through her hand. She took a second to shake off the reaction. It almost felt like when she was about to use bending. Her eyes widened at sight of the wound. Did Naga bite her? She’s never been this hostile towards anyone. 

“Here, sit down here. I’m going to go get some supplies to dress your wound.” Korra took charge, and marched off to gather supplies. Asami was left sitting on a bale of hay, still clutching her freshly wounded hand. Bolin started to ask if she was okay before Korra left for the medical supply closet.

Just outside of the barn, there was a door leading to the closet. She opened it and started searching for rubbing alcohol, gauze, and medical tape. Her eyes landed on the alcohol, and shortly after she found the remaining items. She saw a lollipop at the corner of her eye and grabbed it with a grin. She jogged back to the stables to find Asami and Bolin laughing. Her ears strained to hear the princess and her enchanting laugh. Bolin really was a natural people person. He always tried to make the best out of every situation, that’s one of the many many reasons why Korra loves him so much.

“I got the supplies.” Korra awkwardly interrupted, crouching down to get closer to Asami’s hand. The same electricity wasn’t present, but holding her hand felt right to Korra. She ignored the warm and toasty feeling touching her gave, and opened the rubbing alcohol. She looked at Asami to see her looking back down. Korra’s eyes softened at her gaze, she hated seeing people hurt. 

“Hey uhh this is going to hurt a bit.” Korra warned, waiting for a nod of approval. Asami pursed her lips and nodded. 

“Here, hold my hand.” Bolin offered, almost as if knowing the sudden sting of added pain on top of the already throbbing wound was going to hurt. 

—

Asami took Bolin’s hand before Korra poured the alcohol over the wound with a twisted face. The sting was immediately painful, but quick. The previous blood was dabbed away, and the bleeding managed to slow down a bit, revealing the bite mark. Asami looked at the wound. It wasn’t deep enough to be too worried about, but it would take time to heal 

“This sure is a deep wound.” Korra’s eyes widened in terror. Her blue eyes softened, looking up. Asami caught her gaze and locked it. Her eyes twinkled with glee, trying to lighten the mood. 

“Ehh this is nothing, you should see the other guy.” Asami joked, earning a chuckle from both Korra and Bolin. When Korra laughed, her nose made the cutest crinkle. Almost like a bunny. She couldn’t help but study her face, because she was looking at a happy Korra, and she didn’t know when she would see that Korra again. 

Korra placed the gauze on the bite and held pressure with one hand before she used her teeth to unravel some tape. After Korra unraveled enough, she ripped the tape with her teeth, all while keeping eye contact with Asami. She averted her gaze, ashamed of how weirdly the action had an affect on her. Heat made its way to her cheeks before Korra moved to focus on taping the gauze around her hand. 

Korra wrapped the tape tightly around and smoothed it out with a soft touch. Her touch lingered, before she let go. Asami’s stomach dropped when Korra’s hand left hers.

“All done princess.” Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at her using princes instead of Asami.. Then again, she probably just forgot her name. 

A few inches apart, Korra stood a head shorter than her. She could feel the heat radiate from her skin. If she closed the gap, she could rest her head on Korra’s... not that she would, she was just observing the height difference.. Wow her eyes were blue, and her skin looked so soft. Asami almost reached out to touch it, before she stopped herself. She hoped Korra didn’t notice the slight movement. Korra broke the trance by reaching in her pocket.

“Here, these always seem to ease the pain.” Korra offered Asami a lollipop with a grin. 

“T- thanks for helping me.” Asami managed through shaky breaths. She took the offered lollipop. She turned to looked at Bolin.

“You too, Bolin! Thanks for keeping me company.” Asmai smiles, before raising her eyebrow at his frown.

“Don’t thank me, it’s my fault. I should have never let you out of my sight.” Bolin corrected, averting his gaze. This wasn’t his fault at all. Seeing him like this was the worst.

“Hey this is not your fault.” Asami started, emphasizing the not.

“If anything it’s mine. Naga is my responsibility, this should have never happened. I don’t know why she’s acting like this.” Korra started, rubbing Bolin’s shoulder to get him to stop pouting.

“No, it’s not anyone’s fault. Of course she’s going to act guarded around a stranger, I don’t bla-“

“No..” Korra interrupted before rolling her eyes and looking away. Apologizing genuinely was hard for her, and Asami could tell. She gave Korra a confused look.

“It’s not-“ Asami started before Korra waved her hand, stopping her.

“It’s totally my fault, and I’m sorry she attacked you when we first met.. and I’m sorry for what happened now. Naga is my responsibility and she should have never hurt you.” Korra meets her gaze, and paused. Something changed in her expression, and Asami couldn’t quite read it.

Asami searched between both her eyes. Why was she being so hard on herself? Before Asami could accept her first genuine apology and tell her it really wasn’t anyone’s fault, Korra stormed off. She was about to chase after her, when Bolin stoped her and pulled her back gently.

“It’s best to leave her alone when she storms off, trust me. She’ll come around sooner or later.” Bolin assures her.

Why did it have to be so complicated with her? She was so guarded and when she could finally get a little glimpse of her, her walls shut back down. This whole mystery solving is going to take a bit longer than she expected it seems like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright how are we feeling? That was one heck of a chapter. Korra let her guard down a bit this chapter, just to quickly put it back up. I also added some Naga and Korra backstory. Let me know your thoughts :) Next chapter will be out Friday if everything goes to plan. Thanks!


	5. Meeting The Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The welcoming dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming back!! This chapter only had one Korrasami moment, but I’ll be sure to work more in next chapter. There are some flashbacks though! Btw how are you guys liking the flashbacks?

Korra figured Bolin must’ve given her some space and told Asami to do the same, because she knew Asami was just dying to chase after her. All those princesses were the same, always trying to fix everything and everyone. She had them all figured out. Korra prided herself on being able to access people. She kind of had to, being a princess. She learned very young people weren’t always honest with their intentions.

It was almost time for Asami’s “welcome dinner”, so she didn’t have much time to finish up what she left off when she stormed off before. She had a few more stables to clean, one horse, and Naga to tend to. Korra liked that sort of work, it kept her busy. Most importantly, it kept her mind from racing. This sort of work was just the thing she needed to cool off before dinner, especially since she would be forced into a dress.

Korra managed to get through most of the work, leaving only one more animal to check up on, Naga. She opened the latched stable and started brushing her down.

“Had a rough day, didn’t you? What’s gotten into you, girl?” Korra stopped brushing to rub the spot just below Naga’s ear. That was the golden spot. Naga leaned into the petting. A knock sounded, causing Korra to shift her attention to the entryway.

“Knock knock, can I come in?” Bolin inquired, hesitating to fully enter. Korra nodded for him to come in.

“Hey about earlier, I know you feel bad about Asami getting hurt.. And yes Naga is your responsibility, but you shouldn’t be held accountable for her actions. She’s a polar bear dog, an animal, and sometimes what they do doesn’t make sense. Don’t beat yourself up over something that you didn’t do.” Bolin assured Korra.

Maybe he was right that she shouldn’t be so hard on herself about this. That doesn’t change the fact that Korra can’t help but feel everywhere she went, someone got hurt. Ever since she accidentally hurt Tenzin, her sparring/bending coach and mentor, she was weird about other people getting hurt around her.

—-

_Tenzin knew about Korra’s bending abilities from a young age and taught her how to use and control them in secret, although they were still very difficult to control. It was a work in progress._

_She stretched her arms and legs out, readying herself for bending practice. Practice with Tenzin was tough, but it was slowly working, at least she hoped it was. She had a bit better control of fire, but it was still erratic and unpredictable. She needed to work on fire the most, as it manifested itself when she was angry._

_“Now Korra, according to my research and talks with Iroh in the spirit world, fire bending is about harnessing the chi in your body and releasing it using breath control.” Tenzin began explaining, already confusing Korra._

_“Y- you know how to visit the spirit world!!” Korra interjected, beaming at the mention of the spirit world. She heard so many great things about the spirit world, but she’s never met anyone who could actually go there._

_“My father taught me.” Tenzin sighed at the mention of his father. Korra knew his father was a sore subject for him, so she never pressured him any further._

_“You have to be extremely enlightened and it’s done through quite extensive meditating.” Tenzin continued with a laugh. Korra was terrible at meditating, and they both knew it. She’s tried many times, but managed to fall asleep each time._

_“You’ll have to teach me some other time.” Korra smiles softly. Tenzin nodded in agreement to the proposal._

_“Now about that fire bending, show me again how to move.” Korra pleaded, eager, but unsure of how exactly her hands and legs were supposed to be positioned._

_“Well, you’re supposed to have a stance like this.” Tenzin stood in a stance for Korra to copy. Korra mirrored the stance and nodded for him to continue._

_“Now move your hands like this.” Tenzin held his hands into fists, and pushed forward. Korra copied the action after a few times. Tenzin studied bending his whole life, so he knew all the moves, especially after his visit with Iroh._

_“Now try to relax, especially your breathing, and push it outwards. Like a leaf in the wind, find your inner peace.” Tenzin started. Korra watched him as he placed his fist to his palm and closed his eyes. She followed suit, and relaxed her breathing. She had to admit, it actually felt sort of peaceful._

_“Now put those two steps together.”_

_Korra followed the steps she learned before, but nothing happened. She tried one more time, two more, then three more times. She shook off her frustrations and tried for another twenty minutes with Tenzin still trying to help her. Korra was frustrated beyond belief. She could puff out a baby flame similar to a candlelight, but she couldn’t shoot it in a flame? That didn’t make any sense. What was she doing wrong?_

_“I’m never going to be able to do this.” She seethed, throwing her hand to the side. As she did that, a flame shot out towards Tenzin. Before he could move out of the way, it reached him. He threw his hands up to block his face. The damage was already done. Korra rushed over examining the damage._

_“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.. I didn’t mean to do that, it was an accident!” Korra screamed, covering her mouth before her sobs were audible._

_“Korra, it’s quite alright, it’s not your fault. It doesn’t even hurt a bit. I do wish it was under different circumstances, but you proved you can shoot fire.” Tenzin mentioned with a low chuckle, while holding back a painful wince._

_“This is nothing to laugh at, I hurt you. I shouldn’t be doing this if all I’m good at is hurting people.” Korra huffed._

_“Korra it-“_

_“Let’s get you to Kya.”_

_-_

_Kya shut the door behind her and met Korra out in the hallway. It must’ve been good news, because she didn’t look sad. She actually looked relieved._

_“The burn is first degree and is nothing to worry about. It will be completely healed in a few days with my healing water. He’ll be fine.” Kya assured Korra._

_“This is all my fault.” Korra began sobbing again. Kya wrapped Korra in an embrace. Korra’s head fell on her shoulder._

_While Tenzin was sort of Korra’s mentor, so was Kya. She always went to Kya when she had a problem, as she sometimes had a more practical approach to things than Tenzin._

_“It’s not Korra. What you’re practicing comes with dangers, and my brother knows that. From what I heard and what I know about you, you didn’t purposely hit him, so don’t beat yourself up.” Kya broke the embrace, rubbing her arm._

_“On the bright side, you’re improving. Just focus more on calming down next time. Fire bending can be fueled by both anger and inner peace. I know you’ll focus on the right one.” Kya shoulder bumped Korra._

_“And now I must be going, I have a date to meet.” Kya walked off, leaving Korra to sulk about hitting Tenzin._

_Korra knew exactly who Kya was meeting, Opal’s aunt, Lin. She figured it out after doing some digging. Things got boring around Republia, so the “Kya’s date” mystery offered a detour from her usual shenanigans._

—-

“Thanks, Bolin. You always know what to say.” Korra hugged Bolin, feeling somewhat better. Bolin really had a profound ability to make everything better.

“Anytime, you know I have your back.” Bolin beamed, breaking the embrace.

“I’m gonna get headed back to get ready for the dinner.” Bolin pointed towards the exit, before starting towards it.

“Yeah, I should probably do the same, just gotta finish locking up.”

Bolin left, leaving Korra to find her way back to Naga and latch her gate closed. She would finish cleaning Naga’s stable either in the morning, or after the dinner. She double checked each lock to make sure they were in fact locked. After everything looked okay, she locked the actual doors and headed out.

-

Korra looked in the mirror at her tangled hair and muddy clothes. She looked over to her bed to see the dress she was set to wear. She held it up to her body in the mirror. It was almost a shade darker than her blue eyes. The dress just reached a little past her knees, and a thin, minimalistic ribbon wrapped itself around the waist. Korra hated it, but she hated dresses in general, so that wasn’t saying much. Even though she wouldn’t even admit it to herself, it did fit like a glove as she slipped it on. Her toned legs lead to a pair of blue heels she put on, the same shade as her dress. This evening was bound to be interesting, especially with Korra in heels.

—

A knock sounded at the door before Asami could finish undressing from her day clothing. She already fixed her makeup prior, deciding on a dark shade of red lipstick, purple eyeshadow, and a generous amount of mascara. Asami loved expressing how she felt through makeup. Tonight she felt excited, nervous, hopeful, and well hot.

“One second.” Asami replied, rushing over to the dress placed on her bed.

She slipped her dress on, and flipped her hair over her shoulder. She rushed over to the door and opened the door to see a stranger. She cocked her eyebrow in confusion.

The girl standing before her had dark brown hair that stopped just three inches or so above her shoulders. Asami hadn’t met many girls with short hair, but she had to admit she really rocked it. She could say the same thing about the bangs she had, and once again she pulled it off effortlessly. Her face was shaped to a point, leading to her chin.

“Hey, Asami, I’m Opal! Bolin sent me in place of a servant to help you get ready. He also wanted me to meet you before the dinner.” Opal smiles with perfect teeth, offering her a hand.

Asami looked down at her dress to see a very elegant, green dress. It stopped just above her knees, showing off her legs. She looked up to see a pair of eyes, like the color of her dress. The girl’s eyes were similar to her own, but maybe two or so shades lighter. She found it hard to focus on anything but her eyes. Is this what people felt like looking at her eyes?

“Hi, Opal, I’m Asami, but you probably already knew that.” Asami awkwardly laughs, giving Opal’s hand a firm shake.

“Can you zip me up?” Asami asks, turning her back toward the younger girl. Opal zips up her dress and Asami turns around to see wide eyes. Did she look that bad?

“That dress looks amazing, you look really good!” Opal practically had to shut her jaw before it hit the floor.

“Thanks”

Asami walked over to the full body mirror to examine herself. She looked good alright.

Asami had confidence about her appearance, and she wasn’t afraid to admit when something looked good. The long, red dress accentuated her curves perfectly and cascaded down her long legs. Standing at 6 feet, her legs were pretty long, so she was surprised the dress was reached close to her ankles. A slit was also cut in the fabric, giving a peek at her long legs. The shade of red was crimson, a few shades away from her lipstick. If only her mom could see her now, she would be so proud of the beautiful and strong woman she’s become.

—-

_ Asami wiped the purple off with the back of her hand. She tried over and over to get the eyeshadow to look like her mom’s, but it never did. Even at six she strove for perfection. Asami gave in and went to her mom’s room. _

_ “Mom, why won’t it work!!?” Asami whined, hopping into her lap. Her mom put down the eyeshadow she was putting on and looked at her daughter with wide eyes. A soft laugh escaped her mom’s lips. _

_ “Sweetie, it looks like you used lipstick instead of eyeshadow.” Her mom wiped the lipstick off of her eyelids, while she muffled a laugh. _

_ “Here look, you use this on your eyelids.” Her mom pointed to the eyeshadow and to her eyelid. _

_ “And this goes on your lips.” Her mom handed her the lipstick to try. She opened it and rubbed it across her lips. Looking in the mirror it looked nothing like her mom’s. She pouted, wiping it off. _

_ “Here sweetie, I got it. It takes a bit of practice to get down pat.” Her mom gently wiped away the past lipstick and put on a new layer. _

_ “You keep a steady hand and fill in the lips. Make sure you hold it like this.” The lipstick was placed back in her hand when her mom showed her exactly how to hold it. _

_ Asami looked in the mirror to see her red lips and smiled. Now that was better. _

_ “Why don’t you try on me?” _

_ Asami did as her mom told her before and traced the lips. She remembered to hold it the right way this time. She was almost done when she got a little off track at the end. _

_ “Perfect.” Her mom smiled, as Asami giggled. Her mom wiped the part where she got off track like it never happened. Asami was in awe at how her mom could apply makeup so effortlessly. Asami was a fast learner, but she was still new to the whole makeup department. _

_ “Can we have ice cream now?” Asami pleaded, jumping up and down. _

_ “Isn’t it too early, don’t you want breakfast first? I can make you those pancakes you like.” Her mom tickled her, causing her to giggle and smile with glee. _

_ “It’s never too early for ice cream.” Asami declared. _

_ “Okay, how about pancakes topped with a scoop of ice cream?” _

_ “Yess!!” She gave her mom a quick hug and ran off to the kitchen. Her mom had to practically run to keep up with her. _

—-

“So Bolin wanted me to bring you before the other guests arrive so you could meet the king and queen. Shortly after that the guests will roll in.”

“Uhh sounds good” Asami faltered, a little nervous.

“Hey, you’re gonna leave a great impression, I can already tell. It also helps that you look stunning.” Opal reassures her.

“Thanks, Opal.” Asami’s mood brightened at the appraise

Opal lead Asami to the dining hall and she’s glad for that because she for sure would have gotten lost several times without her. The dinning hall was huge, it even had a dance floor. The table looked as if it could fit 50-60.. she hoped that wasn’t the case. That was a lot of people to impress. The king and queen entered a minute or so after them. Asami only saw pictures of the two, but they were even more striking in person. They were definitely a power couple, they practically embodied power. Tonraq walked up first, he towered over Asami, which was impressive and intimidating. How could someone be that tall!? A cheesy smile similar to the one Bolin had formed across his face.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Asami!” Tonraq beamed, lifting her off the ground in a hug.

“Forgive me if that wasn’t very king like, but I’m just so happy to meet the woman my Mako is going to marry.” The king beamed, happy to meet her. She waved off his apology with a smile. He seemed so nice, compared to the intimidating, tall king she saw seconds before. She definitely didn’t want to see him angry though, that’s for sure.

She could already see the personality similarities in the king and his sons. Bolin seemed to take his charming and goofy side, while Mako took his polite and reserved side. She couldn’t be exactly sure of that just yet, but that’s what she gathered. As far as the personality similarities between him and Korra she wasn’t aware of, as she couldn’t get a proper reading on her with her walls guarding her. There definitely was physical similarities though. The king of course had the same color eyes as Korra, just a bit smaller in size, and also the same smile. If Asami remembered correctly, Korra’s smile was a bit crooked, but it was only really noticeable when she grinned. It’s hard to remember, because she’s only she her grin and smile maybe once. She of course couldn’t miss the similarities in the arm region. While Korra’s biceps clearly weren’t as large as Tonraq’s, they were still quite large for, well a girl. Asami had to admit she was quite impressed at the memory of the girl’s muscles. Just thinking about Korra’s muscles made her stomach flutter... because uhh she was uhh so impressed. Yeah, she wanted to have muscles like Korra, well maybe not as large. So if she was ever caught staring in the future, she would just be comparing and uhh looking for inspiration...

Senna walked up shortly after. She had a quick, hushed chat with Opal before she reached Asami. She looked more similar to Korra than Tonraq. The eye shape and color was almost the same, and the nose was similar too.

“And you must be Asami.” Senna raised to hugged Asami. Senna was about Opal’s height, so she had to use her tippy toes to properly hug her. Her head reached just to her shoulder. Asami felt tall, until she looked back over to Tonraq.

“You look very pretty, Asami. I’m really excited for you to be apart of our family. We were shocked when you actually said yes to marrying Mako, he’s..” Senna started shaking her head with a laugh. Was there something she was missing?

“Annoying.” Bolin interjected, almost startling Asami. When did he get here? If he sneaks up like that again, she might just have a heart attack. Asami caught Mako walking into the room out of the corner of her eye. Senna didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence she started before.

“Speak of the devil.” Tonraq slapped Mako on the shoulder as he reached them. Mako winced slightly, which then turned into a smile when his gaze reached Asami. Tonraq, Senna, and Bolin gave them some space, and headed towards Opal.

“I hope they didn’t tell you anything too embarrassing while I wasn’t here. They can be a bit.. much sometimes, I hope they didn’t scare you off.” Mako started, whispering the last part.

“Oh nonsense, you’re parents seem lovely.” Shaking her head, she replied back. She smiled at the king and queen who were both talking to Opal and Bolin a few paces away.

“Well that’s good to hear. The guests will probably be here any second, so we should take our seats.” Mako motioned to the table. As they reached the table, Mako pulled out Asami’s chair and pushed it in as she sat. Asami thought it was a nice gesture. Maybe Mako wouldn’t be so bad, she hoped at least.

As Mako promised before, the guests started rolling in. Everyone looked amazing with their dresses and suits. Asami counted maybe 30-35 people. That sure was a lot, but it was better than 50. After everyone arrived, the table was filled, besides one chair. She scanned the table to see unfamiliar faces, amongst a few familiar. It was weird because she couldn’t find Korra. She hid the disappointment that gave her.

Everyone was seated at this point, and Tonraq tapped a knife against his glass to get everyone’s attention. Heads turned to face the king before the door busted open, revealing Korra. Asami almost did a double take because she was all cleaned up and had a gorgeous blue dress on. She hasn’t realized how pretty Korra actually was until then. She hadn’t realized how attracted to her she was.. maybe her obsession with the girl’s muscles was something other than “inspiring and comparison”... She was in a trance and had to look away in fear of staring a hole through her. 

Asami watched as the princess hurried over to her seat and sat with a huff. Korra looked so much like a princess, compared to when she was in the stables. She couldn’t help but steal another glance. Korra’s eyes caught her own as she slowly sat, pulling her chair in. Even as she sat, they both held the gaze almost like a competition. It was both intense, and alluring. It sent multiple shivers down Asami’s spine, all while causing her breath to hitch. Emerald green crashing upon ocean blue waves. Asami’s eyebrow shot up in challenge, she wouldn’t dare to give up that easily. 

Korra finally broke free from the competition with a slight quirk of smirk shying on her lips. The girl began trailing her eyes murderously slow down, slowing even further at her lips. She could tell Korra was trying to get a rise out of her. As much as Asami hated to admit it, boy was it working. It gave Asami quite the stir reaction. She never felt so flustered under a girl’s eyes before. 

Her heartbeat started to race, causing her breathing to become quickened. Asami started to look away to even out her breathing, and to cool off. Before she tore her eyes away from Korra, a sad look flashed across the girl’s face as her eyes caught Asami’s hand. She could tell the previous look was one filled with a mix of intensity, and maybe even something more. With this look, she saw something else in the other girl’s eyes, other than sadness. She couldn’t quite read it. Both princesses finally sent their attention back to the king. The whole interaction only lasted maybe thirty seconds, but to Asami, it felt like a blissful eternity. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh Asami thinks Korra is pretty and that brief moment between them at the end was sure something.. 🥰 That’s definitely a step in the Korrasami relationship direction. Now if only Korra could give Asami a chance and stop hating her 🤔


	6. I’d Give Up Forever To Touch You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The welcoming dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my fav chapter so far! I posted it early btw, I couldn’t wait. Let me know what you thought. I absolutely love getting comments, so comment away!! I really want to know what you guys think about this chapter, or maybe even some theories on what might happen. Thanks for coming back to my story, enjoy the reading 🥰🤪

_(A flashback before the dinner)_

_Korra made her way to the dinning hall for Asami’s welcoming dinner. Halfway there she decided to turn back and change to flats. No one would even notice that she wasn’t wearing heels._

_She made it to her room to see the door wide open and her light was on. Before Korra left, she shut the door and turned off the light. A pang of worry entered her body, thinking the worst. Could it be a robber? Who else would be in her room? The staff knew not to go in her room because she took care of her own cleaning and laundry. She hated other people cleaning her room. She quietly stepped in the entry and ran full force. She tumbled to the ground, tackling a man facing the other direction. He managed to turn his body over and low and behold it was Mako._

_“What the hell, Mako? What are you doing here, trying to give me a heart attack?” Korra let out a breath of relief. She really thought it was going to be a robber._

_“No, it’s not like I snuck up on you. In fact you snuck up on me!” Mako countered._

_“Excuse me for thinking there was a robber in my room.”_

_“A robber!?” Mako practically burst out in laughter._

_“Shut up!” Korra playfully punched his arm, but harder than she meant._

_“What are you here for anyways?” Korra changed the subject. It wasn’t usual for Mako to just pop up in her room unannounced._

_“As you know, Asami and I’s wedding is in a year and a half. There’s something involving that I need your help with.” Mako started. Oh this would be great. What could he possibly need her help with?_

_“Don’t tell me you want relationship advice because I know the ladies so well.” Korra retorted with a puff of the chest. Mako rolled his eyes at the comment._

_Korra had quite the reputation with the ladies, or so the media liked to portray. She was known to be quite smooth. Not that she was with many, but the media loved to make it seem like she was a female womanizer. The last girl she dated was of course a princess. The breakup was the worst she’s ever had, so bad she just forced herself to forget about her. After that relationship she swore of princesses for good. Men on the other hand, were tricky for her. Korra’s personality and men didn’t quite mix, but she managed to land a few boyfriends. Korra’s last relationship was actually with a man. It wasn’t anything special, it only lasted two months._

_“Not exactly.. I have to ask you a favor. I really need this because there’s no one else..”_

_“Uhh you know I hate complimenting you” Mako paused, shaking his head._

_“There’s no one else as talented as you are with horses here.” Mako finally let out._

_“You want me to pick her out a perfect horse?” Korra inquired. She was about to tease him about complimenting her, but she was too curious. Picking out a perfect horse wouldn’t be the end of the world._

_“No.. uhh I need you to train Asami how to ride.” Mako paused, before quickly starting to speak again. It’s almost as if he knew if Korra got the chance to talk she would argue._

_“You know the whole tradition of horseback wedding and well she doesn’t know how to ride one bit. Learning to ride a horse can take years, and you’re the best to learn from in the short time we have... As much as I hate to admit.” Mako stopped, leaving room for Korra to finally speak._

_“Hell no.. No way am I gonna teach a princess how to ride a horse.” Korra was now fuming with anger. Her hands filled with pins and needles, but she ignored it._

_“You need better ways of spending your evenings anyways...”_

_Korra knew exactly what he was hinting at._

_She spent some evenings sneaking out of the castle to head to the city. She didn’t do it often, but enough for Mako to notice. He agreed to not let word get to Tonraq and Senna if Korra let him in on the information she gathered. Going into the city gave her lots of inside information on what the people of Republia were up to. Useful information at that._

_“You said you wouldn’t say anything”_

_“People will be coming from most of the surrounding kingdoms to see me marry Asami. This alliance is crucial for Republia, meaning this marriage is crucial. Meaning teaching Asami to ride is crucial.” Mako let out a sigh._

_“Look people need to see that she’s one of us. They need to see she fits in and looks like she belongs. Riding in a car compared to a horse would surely stick out.” Mako pointed out._

_It’s not like he’s giving her an option, so why did he phrase it like a question before?_

_“Fine, whatever. Just keep her out of my stables until it’s time for me to teach her.” Korra let her balled up fist clench and unclench. It’s not like she had much of a choice._

_“Will do. Thank you so much, Korra. I’ll see you at dinner.” Mako left before Korra could say anything else. He knew she wasn’t happy at all about this situation._

_Maybe this was the perfect opportunity to prove herself. Her dad did have a conversation with her about focusing more on being a better princess. She hated the idea of being a better princess, but she wanted to please her parents deep down. She had a normal relationship with them, but it could be better. Mako and Bolin didn’t have that problem, they were both the picture perfect prince. Korra couldn’t help but feel horrible letting her parents down. At least she knew they were still proud of her horse endeavors though. This whole riding deal would show them she’s at least trying._

—-

After Korra was done screwing with Asami, she turned her attention back to her dad. She really did a number on Asami. Haha that would show her... The princess practically lost her breath at Korra sizing her up. Maybe Asami was into girls and Korra didn’t know it, because she appeared quite flustered. Then again, it was probably just welcoming dinner nerves.  


As much as it gave her blissful pleasure to get a rise out of Asami by teasing her, Korra’s heart almost broke when her eyes caught Asami’s bandaged up hand. She let herself be convinced that it wasn’t her fault, but seeing the princess injured still made her feel oddly sad.

“I want to thank all of you for coming to offer a warm welcome to princess Asami of Galnovia. We welcome her to our kingdom, Republia, with open arms. We are honored to have her with us now, and honored for her to be by our side. May our food be blessed, and let us have a wonderful evening.” The king raised his glass triumphantly, almost spilling half of it. She rolled her eyes with a quiet chuckle at her dad’s dramatics. He was always like that. His eyes caught her’s, and he gave her a sarcastic eye roll back.

Chatter erupted, many cheering along and saying their blessings. Korra looked around the table to see a few familiar faces. All around everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there. She downed her wine glass in one big gulp. It wasn’t exactly “princess like”, but it got the job done.

After picking at her food, she finally decided tolook around again. She caught Bolin sending Opal love sick eyes across the table, practically drooling over her. Ahh to be young and in love.. well not that they were a couple yet, because her goof of a brother hasn’t told Opal how he feels yet. It also doesn’t help that Opal is so painfully unaware. She loved Opal, but when it came to love, she was quite the idiot.  


Korra’s gaze flickered over to her mom and dad, who seemed to be having conversations with unfamiliar faces. She then decided to find Mako, who seemed to follow Bolin’s lead. He was practically sending little hearts through the air to Asami. Her eyes finally landed on Asami. She really didn’t want to teach her how to ride, it would be so painful. Being around her in general was painful enough. Korra had to admit though, it felt good to know she could fluster Asami. At least she thought that was the case, but it could have very well been “welcome dinner” nerves like she mentioned before.

The princess was focused intensely on her food, but every now and then she would smile at Mako, or have a brief conversation with the people around her, Korra noticed. She took this as prime opportunity to study the princess. Her thick, black hair cascaded over her shoulder, contrasting against the dark red dress. Her hair had a sort of life to it, so shiny and voluminous. She wanted to reach across the table and run her hands through it. Shaking off the thought, she decided to move on to her face. Her petite, pointed face held such beauty, and although it held a rather pale shade, the castle light gave her skin a little warmth. Korra’s blue eyes chased on after her alluring green eyes. They sparkled in a sort of lively way, leaving Korra in a trance. Her nose, on the other hand, sat perfectly sculpted, leading down to her ruby, almost crimson red lips. They looked almost even plumper than when Korra was teasing her before. Korra could absolutely see herself drooling over her if Asami wasn’t 1: a princess and 2: forced to teach her how to ride. That still didn’t change the fact that the taller woman was drop dead gorgeous. God she wish she could drop dead to avoid those upcoming lessons with her. As Korra was still stuck in her trance, Asami’s eyes flicked up, catching her stare. She was caught red handed, and she knew it. Korra rolled her eyes to play disinterested. She focused her attention to the two people beside her, almost mortified that she was caught looking. 

“How did you like the wine?” An unfamiliar voice broke out. She looked over to her right to see what had to be an ambassador of some sorts from Halgonya. She briefly remembered talking to him about Naga a few days ago. Some of the guests showed up a few days prior, which was weird to her.

“It’s okay. I’m empty though.” She laughed, showing him the empty glass.

“Baron Zayn Perish of Halgonya at your service.” He announced with a smile, grabbing a near by bottle, and pouring some wine into her glass. His curly, dark brown hair bounced a tad when he moved.

“I saw you looking at the newly arrived princess, Asami. She seems lovely, like she’s a great princess.” Zayn mentioned, trying to start conversation.

“A better princess than I’ll ever be”

“That’s not what I meant, princess Korra and you know that’s not true at all. You do a great service to your kingdom in your own way.” He argued, certainly trying to charm her. She couldn’t quite tell if he thought that was true or not. He must have sensed her lack of interest on the princess subject, so he changed it.

“I hear you know lots about animals. Horses and polar bear dogs in particular.”

“Is that so?” She now turned her full, undivided attention towards him. Now he was talking her language. Her blue eyes sparked with interest, searching for his hazel. She hadn’t seen too many people with hazel eyes. At least not that shade.

“Yeah, I was talking to a few men before dinner and they mentioned your skills. They said you’re the perfect person to help me pick out a horse.”

“I’ve been told I’m quite the horse expert. I personally prefer Naga, my polar bear dog, over horses, but I sure know my way around horses nonetheless.” Korra explained, confident in her skill and knowledge of horses.  


That was something she was good at, something that also made her parents proud. Even with the invention of cars, many kingdoms still stuck with horses, or used both. Her expertise was in high demand. People came from all around to find the perfect warhorse, racing horse, and even riding horse. Korra found pride in that. It made her feel important and useful. Her skill brought lots of people to Republia, and it in turn also played a hand in creating several alliances. But not everyone seemed to acknowledge her horse expertise as a princess quality.

“Well my kingdom has sworn off the whole motor vehicle deal. Too many of them have been breaking down lately. Horses seem far more reliable.” He finishes off his wine in a gulp. 

“That they are. You are a man after my heart.” Korra joked, feeling the wine already working it’s way through her system. She felt a bit giddy.

Korra heard some commotion around the table. She looked up to see most people finished with dinner and heading to the dance floor. Light music started playing.

“That I am. Sometime in the near future I would love to discuss with you what type of horse would be best suited for my people. Maybe we could go on a ride sometime?” He raised from his seat, offering an arm.

“Care to dance in the meantime?” He charmed. Korra had to admit she was quite attracted to him, with his broad shoulders and muscular body. His eyes twinkled under the castle light. Why not? One dance couldn’t hurt. She took his offered hand with a smile.

She reached the filled dance floor. A new song just started, so the Baron lead the way. They swayed to the beat, swirling and dipping every once and a while. The dance floor was crowded, so they were constantly bumping into people. She must’ve muttered sorry a hundred times by now.

The song shortly came to an end, and Zayn twirled her one last time. Her momentum halted when she crashed into someone else, falling to the ground. She muttered an apology, and looked down at the girl. Emerald eyes met blue. It was Asami.

“Someone keeps falling for me.” Korra teased, feeling one with the wine she downed before.

—

Asami hadn’t yet seen this side of Korra. She was expecting a “watch where you’re going, princess.”, but Korra looked almost relaxed. It must have been the wine she saw her practically chug before. Korra managed to somewhat fall on top of her, so for a brief beat their faces were mere inches apart. She saw the blue eyes lazily blink, through long lashes. Blue was starting to become her new favorite color.

Asami’s eyes twinkled back, making their way down Korra’s face. She didn’t know the next time she would have the opportunity to study Korra this close, so she studied away. Her eyes made it to her tan skin, almost like a delicious, caramel tone. A few freckles scattered around her cheeks, some made their way to her small, cute nose. She slowly eyed her lips, stopping for what felt like an eternity. They were full, but not too big. It was _her turn_ to fluster Korra. She trailed her eyes slowly back up to the the girl’s blue eyes, stopping to study each one individually. Asami learned the flipped triangle trick a while back. Slowly eyeing the lips, then slowly looking at each eye individually. She discovered a new found look flashed across her blue eyes. Asami had a mischievous glint in her eye, managing a sly tilt of her lips, forming a smirk.

“I mean we have to stop meeting like this.” Asami retorted back, looking into a sea of blue. She wouldn’t mind getting lost at sea if it meant she could look into those eyes for eternity. It’s been less than a minute, but it felt much longer. She probably wouldn’t get another chance to see Korra like this, so she relished a bit longer. She probably wouldn’t get the chance to be under her either... Well now it was her turn to feel the wine surge through her system.

Korra’s arms propped herself up, stopping a bit to untangle. A knee brushed the inside of her thigh, just missing where she shamelessly wanted, causing her to squirm slightly. Asami had to admit, although brief, it felt nice.

Korra got up, and offered her a hand. Asami was surprised. Where was Korra, and what did this woman do with her? As she got up, Korra brought their bodies close with a tug. It was a quick movement that would look like a hug to any onlooker. Asami quite enjoyed the close proximity. She felt Korra’s breath on her neck, sending a warmth pulsing through her body. A contrasting chill also made its way up her spine. Korra sure had a way of making Asami feel an ocean of feelings.

“You should really watch where you’re going... _princess_.” Korra whispered in a sultry tone. This set Asami on fire. Either the wine was talking, or she was kind of turned on. It was all a shock to her, everything that just happened. It all played out in less than two minutes, but like every other interaction with Korra, it felt so much longer.

Korra waltzed off to her partner. She couldn’t help but watch her in awe as she left the dance floor hand and hand with Zayn. She remembered Mako mentioning his name while they were dancing together.

“You alright?” Mako rushed over with concern

“Yeah, yeah, just kind of got tangled up there for a second. Your sister might be trying to kill me.” She nervously laughed.

“Don’t worry she has orders to not kill you.” Mako laughed back. That made her feel better...

“Actually, now that we’re talking about Korra, I have some news.” Mako started. Oh boy what now?

“You know we sort of have a thing for using horses, while your kingdom has a thing for using cars. Well, you mentioned before that you couldn’t ride, so I set up lesson for you. You kind of need to learn before the wedding.” Mako awkwardly mentioned. They hadn’t yet talked about the wedding.

“Mako, she despises me.. she’s actually gonna kill me.” Asami says with a straight face this time.

“She doesn’t despise you as a person per say. She just doesn’t like princesses.”

“W- what.. she _is_ a princess” Confusion laced her voice.

“Look she’ll tell you why some other time, but trust in me saying that she won’t hurt you, okay?”

“Fine, but I’m not going to like it.” She huffed in exaggeration. She _would_ in fact like it...just a little, even if Korra was going to be a jerk. She could deal with the whole jerk routine. Maybe she could even break her walls down...Maybe should could solve the mystery that is Korra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow what a rush. That moment between Korra and Asami was *intense*. How are we feeling after this chapter? Also I kind of named that guy Zayn bc I will forever love 1D... don’t judge. I mean my username is Kiwiscel. (A reference to Harry’s Kiwi song) But yeah, thanks for reading 🥰 *Also, starting my college classes soon, so I’ll probably only update once a week.


	7. Breakfast and Bar Fights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami goes to breakfast to meet some new faces. The topic of bending gets brought up, revealing everyone’s true feelings on the matter. Korra enjoys her last free day in the city with Kuvira before she has to spend most of her evenings on riding lessons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii! This chapter doesn’t have a lot of Korrasami action, but you’ll get a lot of information about the overall story. Thanks so much for reading, and pleaseeee leave comments :) Btw I’m low key obsessed with Kuvira (In the actual show) and I’m not ashamed 😌.

A sun beam fought it’s way through the curtains, finding an opening. The beam seemed to seek out Asami’s sleeping body specifically, because it immediately found her right eye. Within a few seconds, the princess flustered awake. As the bright light entered her eye, she shielded her eyes in agony. With the piercing bright light in her eyes, her head nearly exploded. The aftermath of the wine was in full effect.

Her memory must be scrambled up, because after the diner all she remembers is Korra being on top of her. The idea was confusing to Asami, because that definitely couldn’t have happened. Regardless, she made a mental note to ask around about the events that unfolded after the dinner. Surely her brain was playing tricks.

Speaking of Korra, Asami’s lessons with her would be starting tomorrow. She cursed herself for not learning to ride at a younger age, because now she was stuck with someone who wanted her gone. Someone who was out for blood. Maybe not blood, but she definitely didn’t feel safe. The girl hates her guts, there’s no way she would make these lessons a walk in the park.

Although, Korra did appear different last night, with the teasing and all. Asami gathered it was some sick power play to get under her skin. It wouldn’t work though, at least she hoped. She wouldn’t let Korra ruin her time at Republia. She wanted to make friends when she arrived, not enemies. And she really didn’t know why Korra despised her so much, other than being a princess. It’s not even like that’s her fault anyhow, but she knew how to be the bigger person. She would try her best to act kindly towards Korra, despite her brooding attitude. Mako did say before Korra needed some time to open up, so maybe that’s—

Interrupting her thoughts, a knock sounded. She groaned at the rough start to the morning. Why couldn’t she sleep in peacefully. She threw herself off the bed and went to open the door.

“Hey, morning. I hope you slept well. In about a half an hour you’re going to meet the advisors over breakfast, so I figured I give you some time to get ready.”

She wanted to strangle him right then and there for waking her up this early. Well not that he woke her up, but she would be back to sleep if it weren’t for him.

“Ok, thanks. I’ll be there when I’m done.” She managed instead, with a forced smile.

“Sounds good” Mako playfully bowed, before exiting. Asami was confused at first, then she realize It was a joke from the day when she curtsied.

Asami managed to muster up some energy, ignoring the splitting headache, and got ready for meeting the advisors. She’s really wondering how much wine she had to elicit such a splitting headache.

-

She made it half way to the meeting when she ran into Opal. The wide smile across her face looked as if it was permanently glued to the girl.

“What’s up with you?” Asami asked, suddenly curious.

“Oh nothing, just had a good night. I got to dance with Bolin.” The younger girl sighed at the wonderful memory. A smirk flashed over her face to replace the former smile. Asami had only known her for less than a full day, but she knew that girl was up to something.

“You seemed to have quite the time too” Opal stated with a small giggle. Was Asami missing something? Wait.. she could ask Opal how the events of last night unfolded!

“About that, my memory is sort of blown because of the wine. Remind me why I seemed to have ‘quite the time’” Asami inquired, curiously.

“You must be a lightweight.” Opal teased, but continued.

“You were out dancing with Mako before you two kissed.”

“What!! How do I not remember that?” Asami cringed how could she kiss Mako this early.. what has gotten into her? Well unless he kissed her. Asami didn’t even want to think about kissing him. She hoped she could get through the marriage without kissing, but she realized how silly that notion was.

“Oh that’s not all” Opal started with another smirk. Oh shit what did she do now? She really shouldn’t drink anymore because this is just the worst, not knowing what she did.

“Well you were dancing with Mako before you and Korra ran into each other. She fell on top of you, and you guys were like that for maybe a minute or so. I could feel the tension from across the room. There’s something going on between you two, isn’t there?” Opal accused, but it didn’t feel like an accusation, it felt like a friend wanting the tea. Were they friends? Does that mean she finally has a friend!?

“Not in the slightest.” Asami laughed at the notion before she continued.

“Korra has this whole brooding and resentment type of deal going, so whatever chance she gets to tear me down, mess with my head, and make my life a living hell, she takes it. I remember her chugging down that wine, so that probably had something to do with the what you called ‘tension’.” Asami sighed. So Korra was on top of her. It’s a relief to know that her mind wasn’t screwing with her. Now that her memory is jogged, she can feel some of her actual memories seep in. 

She remembers the little unspoken challenge they had going. She remembers Korra eyeing her up, laced with hatred, but the challenging spirit present. She also remembers herself fighting back, searching Korra’s face. She remembered it so clearly, piercing blue eyes, caramel toned skin, small nose, full lips. How could she forget such a face? As she shook away the memory a phrase entered her head.

_ “You should really watch where you’re going, princess” _

And with that she turned fully to Opal, hiding the shiver that just traveled down her spine.

“I should probably get to this whole meeting deal, where is the conference room?” Asami really should make it her mission to draw out a map of this huge place. She didn’t know why they were meeting in the conference room when they were eating breakfast.

“Down the hall to the left. I should get going too. Maybe we can hang out later?” Opal asked. It was official Opal wanted to be friends with her!!

“Yeah, for sure! Just swing by my room and we can hang” Asami couldn’t hide the glee that the situation brought her.

“Ok, see you later.”

And with that, Asami embarked her journey to the conference room. She walked down the hall, and sure enough, to the left was a door that had ‘conference room’ etched into it. She opened the door, and people stopped their chatter for a second to see who entered. The chatter continued again as Mako rose from his seat to kiss her on the cheek, as a greeting. Asami didn’t like the whole pda thing. She thought it was gross and cliche, but alas this is what she’s become.

Asami looked at the unfamiliar people across the table. She did see the king, queen, and Bolin, so that was refreshing. The king was having a heated discussion with an older, grey haired lady. Her hair gave her the appearance of old age, but her face looked rather young. She had what looked like a scar across her cheek. It had to be Lin, the director of foreign relations. Asami had heard many many things about her, none too good. She was known to be quite the character. She heard a rumor that she was dating a woman her in Republia. Lin must have caught her gaze, because she was giving Asami a cold glare. Asami decided to fix her most pleasant smile in return.

“Come on, let’s go speak to my father.” Mako suggested, walking towards the king and the stone cold Lin. This would be interesting.

As they ventured over, Asami noticed maybe 10 people spread across the table. Almost all unfamiliar faces. Right next to Bolin was an empty chair, which was weird. Someone must not be coming. Fortunately enough, the king met them halfway, leaving Lin behind.

“It’s nice to have you here, princess. I hope you’ll get the chance to meet everyone.” The king said with a bright smile.

“It’s nice to be here, and as do I” Asami curtsied, almost immediately slapping herself for doing so. Looks like certain formalities would take some getting used to.

“No need for that, we’ll be family soon.” He shooed off the curtsy as Mako stifled a snicker. It hit her just then, she’s actually going to have a whole new set of ‘family members’. Oh no.. Korra would be apart of that family. That would sure ruin family dinners.

“Not to mention we left that and the whole ‘your majesty’ nonsense in the past. Just call me Tonraq as well” The king mentions. She guessed that was a good thing, as it’s all far too formal.

“Well, Tonraq, I look forward to the breakfast.” Asami smiles kindly.

Asami and Mako make their way back to sit down. The king reaches his seat, but remains standing. He had a sort of energy about him that had ‘king’ written all over.

“Let’s begin with breakfast, the most important meal of th—“ The king started before the door burst open. Was this a reoccurring thing that happened in castles, people barging in? If you’re late, why not just calmly open the door?

Of course it was Korra who was late. She looked like she just ran all the way here, with parts of her hair matted down and her breath still catching. Everyone seemed to acknowledge her and get back to the king, but Asami couldn’t help but focus on her.

“Late as always” Mako muttered, before focusing his attention back to his father. She’s guessing this must be a reoccurring thing for Korra, being late. Her eyes trailed after her as she sat. She didn’t want to be caught in the act, so Asami tore her eyes away to look at the king.

“Like I was saying, let the breakfast start.” The king announced, sitting down. The servants handed out proper eating utensils, before placing the eggs, bacon, and pancakes to every person. She couldn’t help but thank every servant as they gave her utensils and the food. It saddened her to think they had to serve people for a living, but it looked like they weren’t to bad off. From what she gathered, the staff was treated fairly well, which is something she could get behind. Her thoughts were broken by Lin.

“So, princess Asami, I heard you’re taking riding lessons with Korra?” Of course she would bring up the thing she least wanted to talk about. Asami forced a pleasant smile.

“Yes, director, I’m very pleased to not only be learning about horses, but learning how to ride.” Asami started, before switching her glance to Korra.

“I’m so glad I have this opportunity to learn from what I hear, the best riding teacher in Republia.” Asami smiles a fake cheesy smile. From the look on Korra’s face, it appeared she was about to set something on fire, and if looks could kill, she’d be good as dead. She assumed what happened last night, the teasing, was just that, teasing. All a power play, and to get in her head. All the bad blood between them would continue on, especially without the wine in play, that’s for sure.

“Where did these eggs come from, they taste different.” Mako interrupts. Never had she been so happy to hear Mako interrupt, because now the topic was changed.. to eggs? 

“I actually picked them up this morning, I needed some fresh air. They’re from the city believe it or not.” The queen revealed. It was at least nice she didn’t make a servant go all the way out to the city to gather eggs. Asami was glad things were different in Republia.

“Is the city nice? I’ve never been.” Asami asks, directing the question to Senna, the Queen.

“It’s filled to the brim with red lotuses and equalists. They fight constantly.” Mako snarled at the thought. She was once again out of the loop. What exactly was an equalist, or a red lotus? Her kingdom was quite different. Galstonia was strongly against bending, but it wasn’t big enough to have groups like that. Now she would seem stupid if she asked.

“Equalists are people who fight for equality. They want benders and non-benders to live freely. They want bending to be allowed. The Red Lotuses are those who are against bending.” Bolin mentions to Asami, almost like he read her mind. She nods to him in a nonverbal thanks. 

“I just don’t see why bending is so bad.” Asami realized it wasn’t very princess of her to state a controversial opinion like that, especially with new people around.

“It’s not bad, some people are just set in their ways.” Mako mentions, with a sudden softening in his tone as he looked at Korra. Was there something she was missing? Maybe Korra had strong feelings about the topic. The shorter princess looked like she was dying to say something, but her face set back into a neutral expression.

“If it was up to me, bending would be allowed again. The whole banning of it was done years ago, but no one is brave enough to stand up for what’s right.” The king sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Asami hadn’t met too many people who have not been so against bending. Maybe Republia was ahead of everyone else’s time.

Asami knew the history of bending, she was forced to read books about it as a kid. The whole idea of shunning people who had a special talent seemed silly. It comes across as jealous and childish. Just like people, there are good and bad benders, no law is going to change that. Human beings are naturally going to rebel, so outlawing bending seems ridiculous.

Asami remembered the lesson like it was yesterday. _Talk of outlawing bending was spoken for centuries, but the Hundred Year War is what really sparked change. For years the different elements nations fought over power and land. The fire nation took control. With the avatar missing, the other nations stood no change with the size of the fire nation army. After years of this continued war, the air nomads were soon annihilated._

_With that, the fire nation gained control of the water tribe that was left after destruction, and the earth kingdom. When avatar Aang finally returned, the world was much different. His people were gone. Destroyed. Extinct, besides him, and he couldn’t help but blame himself. When Aang saw all the death and destruction, he trained to defeat the fire nation, or more specifically, the fire lord. After brutal training, he finally went head to head with Ozai, the fire lord. Aang ended up on top, but instead of killing Ozai, he locked him away. As the avatar, Aang outlawed bending. Ever since then, bending has stayed illegal. No one dared to question the late avatar._

“Well I personally agree in saying bending shouldn’t be illegal. From what I understand, when you possess the ability to bend, it’s apart of you. Who are we to force people to hide parts of themselves to please others? I just think it’s wrong, and I’m glad to hear most of you seem to think the same” She hadn’t met more accepting people in her life. She really liked it here, she felt like she was free.

“As much as I hate to agree with you both, bending should be allowed. I think it’s time someone changed that.” Lin eyed the King. What could the king possibly do? It’s not like he had the power to do that.

After Lin chimed in, a few other advisors did as well, but Asami drowned out the sound, as she stole a glance at Korra. Before she looked rigid and tense, but now she looks almost content. That’s weird, she must also want bending to be legalized. Maybe Asami could pry it out of her later, carefully of course. There’s no way Korra would just willingly reveal what she’s thinking and feeling. That would be far too easy.

—-

Korra had only the rest of the day left before her free afternoons would be taken away, which would mean no going into town for a while. She intended to use the rest of the time she had, rather than wasting it.

Korra made her way to Kuvira’s house. She lived with her adopted family. They lived just off the castle in a large house. Korra walked through the door, and barged through Kuvira’s bedroom door. Barging in was her favorite thing to do, it kept people on their feet. It also catches people by surprise. She remembered one god awful day she barged in and accidentally caught Kuvira and Bataar Jr. making out. She had to scrub her eyes with soap and water to get that image erased from her mind.

“Get up, you’re coming with me” Korra shook the sleeping form awake. Her hair was almost always tied up in a bun, but when she slept, it was free. She noticed her hair matted to her face.

“Noo” Kuvira mumbled, turning to the other side of the bed. She wasn’t going to make this easy.

“Yes. I only have a day left, so we’re going into town.” Korra continues to poke her sides

“A day left?” Kuvira managed to ask, still half asleep. 

“I have to teach Mako’s stupid little princess how to ride a horse.” Korra gritted her teeth at the reminder. This seemed to wake up Kuvira, because she was now sitting up.

“You mean the new hot princess?” Kuvira was suddenly wide awake. She was something else. Only she would react that way.

“No, the bratty, annoying, obnoxiously tall one” Korra shot back.

“Oh stop she’s a looker, and you know it. I found it very interesting how at the dinner you were practically undressing her with your eyes, and not to mention... you literally “fell” on top of her.” Kuvira chuckled, clutching her stomach.

“I was not undressing her! Those looks we’re packed full of hatred, and I wanted to mess with her head.” Korra said in defense. That’s all she meant to do, screw with the privileged princess. It didn’t hurt that princess was pleasant to look at though.

“And I did fall. Zayn spun me too hard, and the dance floor was crowded” Korra said in defense, once again. Kuvira rolled her eyes.

“Whatever makes you feel better, but if I was teaching her, I’d sure enjoy the view.” Kuvira started changing into her day clothes. Korra turned around.

“Let’s go” Kuvira huffed, finally dressed.

“You think I can sit in on one of those lessons, I want to meet Asami officially. Maybe I can win her over, steal her from Mako, and we can run away together.” Kuvira joked. Korra laughed at the left part.

“Would you really run away?” Korra couldn’t help but laugh. Big, strong, tough Kuvira would run away?

“Nah, I’m just joking, but I would definitely steal her from Mako. I bet I could.” Kuvira flexed her muscles.

“Hah she’s the straightest princess I’ve seen in a while. No way could you win her over.”

“Nah, I get a bi vibe from her. And If you let me come to a lesson, we’ll see” Kuvira countered smugly.

“Fine, after the first lesson come down whenever you want. Maybe you’ll make it less insufferable anyways.” 

“Now enough about you winning over the princess, let’s go” Korra practically ran out the doors onto their adventure.

-

Korra drew Naga to a halt. Just next to the pub was a burned down storefront. Charred rubbish scattered across the ground.

“Looks like the equalists have been here.” Kuvira thought out loud.

“Looks like it. Let’s head in.” They tethered Naga and Kuvira’s horse to a nearby post.

As they walked in they met the usual bartender. The one the proved to be useful in gaining information.

“Just the usual” Kuvira knocked on the pub counter. Korra had to admit her friend seemed to exude a certain confidence she envied.

“I’ll have the same.” Korra placed a bundle of coins on the counter, and slid it towards the bartender. He debated for a second, but accepted. She showed two fingers in his eyesight. That meant the deal was ago. He nodded in acknowledgment. He begun placing Korra’s drink to the left, indicating new information. They both nodded for him to continue. The bartender walked off.

A minute or so later, an older man slid in next to Korra and Kuvira. He wore simple clothing, almost too simple. He eyed the two, accessing them.

“Good drinks?” The man gave the code phrase. Korra slid a bundle of coins his way with a nod.The man eyed the bundle and accepted. He looked around quickly to see if anyone else was within earshot.

“People are saying the crown’s alliance with Galstonia is a mistake. A separate, but large group of Equalists oppose the alliance..” The man looks around again. Galstonia has the reputation of being strongly against bending, so that was no surprise. 

Earlier at breakfast when the bending topic was brought up, Korra was surprised at Asami’s views. She thought the princess would surely be strongly opposed to bending, seeing as her kingdom had a strong anti-bending reputation. The fact that Asami thought benders should be free made her feel better, but it of course didn’t change her hatred for the woman. Korra was still stuck in her ways, and getting out of those ways would take some time. Asami’s views on bending definitely was a step in the right direction, though.

“The red lotus has talks of causing a rebellion if any anti-bending laws are revoked. Word has gotten around about the King’s opinions on bending, and they’re not happy. If things get bad enough, an attack could be in the works.” The man hushed his tone even more.

This didn’t make sense how did word get out about her father’s beliefs? He always made sure he kept neutral standing in public eye, and never slipped. Something felt off, but this was plenty information. She knew the red lotus was against bending, but she didn’t think they would go as far as to attack. She would have to tell her dad, or at least Mako.

“But, you didn’t hear that from me.” The man left Korra and Kuvira. As he left, a fight broke out outside. Korra went to get a better look, and Kuvira followed along.

Two men where fist fighting, with a few others doing the same. It looked heated, but not enough to cause death. Korra looked to see the seemingly cause of the fight, an equalist symbol painted in black on a nearby white wall. It seemed the equalists and the red lotuses were fighting. A man flew back from a punch, landing near Korra’s feet.

“We should head back before this gets any worse.” Kuvira said, surprisingly the voice of reason.

They got back to Naga and Kuvira’s horse, and set to head back to the castle. As they rode off, Korra spotted a man running with black paint on his hands. Three men were chasing after him. Korra urged Naga after them to follow the action.

“Korra, not the best idea!” Kuvira yelled, trying to keep up. Korra halted as they neared the scene.

“Take that you scum.” The three men kicked the guilty man, tag teaming him.

“Hey!” Korra shouted. That caused the three men to stop and look up.

“Let me guess you’re one of those bending lovers?” One of the man spat.

“He didn’t do anything wrong, leave him alone!” Korra demanded.

“He kidnapped my son and sold him to a bending camp up north.” The man shouted in anger.

The three men averted their attention to Korra, and aimed to fight. Two of the men tried tugging her off of the saddle, while the other took on Kuvira.

Kuvira hopped off her horse and ran after a scattered broom stick on the ground. She picked it up and used it as a weapon, jabbing at the man in front of her. Korra waved at Kuvira to throw it over. She caught it and dug her heels into Naga to charge forward, holding out the broom towards the two men. They fell to the ground, avoiding the jab. Korra threw the stick back to Kuvira, who jabbed the man even harder. They seemed to have had enough, so they all ran away. Of course they ran when things got rough.

Korra got off of Naga and walked over to the man on the ground. He was clutching his side with a grimace.

“Is it true you sold his kid?” Korra asked.

“I didn’t sell him, I saved him.” The man defended.

“Explain” Kuvira demanded. 

“Some red lotuses, or random people who just hate bending, send their children to camps to cleanse them of their affinities.” The man explained. Korra could feel the heat trickling down her hands. It wasn’t enough to get noticed, but Korra couldn’t hold it back. The fact that parents would send away their child to get cleansed of their abilities sickened her.

“We help them train and learn about their abilities in a safe environment.” The man continued. A few other people ran to the man’s aid.

“Alright, let’s go.” Kuvira interjected, back on her horse. 

“Okay, let’s just stop at The Jasmine Dragon and we can head back.” Korra spoke nonchalantly.

“Oh no, not gonna happen.”

“It’ll be quick”

“You know I’d do anything for you, but as a royal guard, I can’t get in anymore trouble. You know how that place is anyways.” Kuvira had a serious look. She was right of course. Korra was being selfish, pushing her to do something that could cost her job.

“Plus, you have to rest for your big day tomorrow.” Kuvira joked, but Korra did not laugh.

“Don’t remind me.” Korra rolled her eyes, climbing on Naga and nudging her to head towards the castle.

“Tell her I said hi.” Kuvira wiggled her eyebrows.

“Uhh no, I will not be doing that.”

“I’ll just have to go to one of the lessons and meet her.” Kuvira shrugged her shoulders.

“Ugh you’re the worst” Korra laughed.

“You love me.”

“Sadly I do, you weirdo.” Korra smiled at her idiotic friend. What would she do without her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooo thanks for reading, please let me know your thoughts. :)))


	8. Running When Things Get Tough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before lessons, Asami has a chat with Opal. She also gets some inside information on Korra from Bolin, which she may use later. The riding lessons start, and the first lesson ends on an interesting note...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy I’ve been a bit busy, but here’s the new chapter. I really hope you guys enjoy. And as always, please let me know what you guys can think! Also I only read it over like twice, so just ignore the mistakes ajkskd.

“Soooo how do you like Mako?” Opal asked, with a cheesy, grade school tone. Should she be honest or lie? It’s not like Opal would run and tell Mako she didn’t like him. At least she hoped so. Opal didn’t seem like the type of person to do something like that, but she couldn’t risk it.

“H- he’s okay.” Asami stuttered out, trying to sell it. She mentally slapped herself for stuttering. Why was she cursed with being a terrible liar?

“He’s really cute.” Asami added, for safe measure. Haha she totally sold it. There would be no doubting if she liked Mako or not.

“Asami, cut it out. How do you reallyyyy feel.” Opal said poking her stomach to get the truth out. She swatted away with a light chuckle, but gave in. There’s no point in lying when she could see right through it.

“I mean he is cute, but I don’t feel any...” 

“Electricity, spark, magic, chemistry?” Opal finished. Asami had the feeling the younger woman knew what she was talking about. She and Bolin had quite the chemistry, after all. She could tell just by watching them.

“Exactly... none. None at all.” Asami covered her face. She felt bad. She felt like she was doing something wrong. She felt like she wasn’t trying hard enough to like him. Then again, you shouldn’t have to try to like someone, it should come naturally. Opal rubbed her shoulder affectionately.

“Asami, don’t beat yourself up. You either like him, or you don’t. You shouldn’t feel bad about that.” Opal assured her, wiping a single tear that fell down Asami’s cheek. This wasn’t like her, she hardly ever cried. The last time she cried was when she was visiting her mom’s grave. Wait— her mom. What would she think of this situation? Surely she wouldn’t want her to be in such a state.

“I just—“ Asami started full on crying. Her single tear replaced itself with a stream. She wanted her mom. Her mom would know exactly what to say.

“Alright, uhh lets change the topic.” Opal said quickly. Maybe a change in topic would ease her pain.

“Have you met my sister Kuvira? She wouldn’t stop talking about you yesterday.” Opal laughs, already changing the mood. She seemed to have that effect. Asami couldn’t remember meeting anyone by the name of ‘Kuvira’. She must’ve been the girl sitting next to Opal. Thinking about something else seemed to ease her crying, though.

“I saw her sitting near you, but I didn’t get the chance to meet her. You should introduce me sometime.” Asami wiped the remaining teardrops.

“What did she say about me?” Asami continued, curiosity getting the better of her.

“She just talked about how good you looked at the welcoming party. Of course, she’s right, but she wouldn’t shut up-“ Opal laughed mid sentence. Asami knew she was pretty, but she always loved people telling her. And even with her self awareness, she still found herself being insecure from time to time.

“She compared you to a summers night. She gets very poetic when she sees something she likes.” Opal covered her mouth to stop laughing. Big, tough, and strong Kuvira being poetic seemed to give her quite the fit. A slight blush crept up Asami’s face. It felt good to be admired. She hadn’t had much of that lately, other than Mako. But she really didn’t count that.

“I didn’t peg her to be the poetic type”

“Oh she wouldn’t say it to your face. She has this whole tough and suave act. It’s really funny because she’s actually a huge softie deep down.”

“She sounds really nice. I saw her talking to Korra before the dancing started. They seemed like they were good friends.” Asami spoke, remembering the two laughing together. She felt a tinge of jealousy at the sight, wanting nothing more than to be the one making Korra laugh like that. She wanted to break Korra’s shell.

“Ohh yeah. They’re like besties. They had a ‘thing’ briefly, but they cut it out quickly. I guess some people are just meant to be friends.” Opal smiled. Asami felt both relieved and jealous.

Were her and Opal friends now at least? Asking her plain out would feel too needy, but Asami couldn’t help it. She wanted so desperately to have a ‘person’. The type of person you have undeniable trust in. The type fo person you just click with. The type of person you would call to help you hide a dead body. If Mako couldn’t be her ‘person’, then Opal could be that person. Her ‘person’ didn’t have to be romantic anyways.

“Are we friends?” Asami asked with more desperation than she intended. She braced herself for rejection. For that oh so sweet “no, who would want to be friends with you” she was so familiar with. Opal punched Asami in the arm, playfully.

“Of course we’re friends, silly. I’m actually so glad to have another girl around here that I can actually tolerate. You’re a bit older than me, but the girls around here are either hit or miss...” Opal trailed off.

“My best friend slot is open, if you’ll have it. I know we don’t know each other super well, but I can tell you’d make a great bestie. Plus I can braid your hair. I’ve been dying to braid it.” Opal looked mesmerized by Asami’s hair. Braiding hair sounded like a cliche grade school thing to do, but Asami didn’t care. This 23 year old would gladly let her hair be braided by the 20 year old sitting across from her.

“Wait.. really!!!? Asmai didn’t even try to hide her excitement. She was practically jumping up and down. Was this what it was like to finally have luck in the friend department?

“I’ll take that as a yes?” Opal laughed at the princesses excitement.

“Yes it’s a yes!!!” Asami cheered, wrapping Opal in a hug.

“Okay now that we’re besties, I can let you in on the prank I have planned.” Opal smirked mischievously. She liked this friendship already.

“Whatever it is, I’m in.” Asami replied, knowing this would definitely be fun. It wouldn’t be princesses like. That’s why it sounded so fun.

-

Asami started to get ready for her lesson. For some reason it felt like the first day of school. She was nervous, on edge, but also surprisingly thrilled. Even though the lessons would be tough, it gave her a chance to break down Korra’s walls. Knowing Korra for such a short time, she could already tell it would be a long, excruciating process. A process she was willing to be patient with, nonetheless. She felt a strange connection to the woman, whether it be because she’s attracted to her, or because of something much more that she’s not ready to delve into.

A knock interrupted her thoughts. She had no idea who it could be, but there always seemed to be someone trying to talk to her just before she was about to go somewhere. She answered the opened door by opening it. A breath of relief let out as she saw it was Bolin.

“Hey, Bolin, what’s going on?” Asami smiles at her favorite prince. In the short time they’ve be aquatinted, she’s grown rather found of him. He had a way with the ladies, but not even in that way. He just knew how to talk to women like no other man she had encountered. He was kind, gentle, charismatic, and even funny. She wasn’t attracted to him, but she could see why Opal liked him so much.

“I know your lessons are in a little bit, so I brought you some riding clothes. The clothing they have you are probably outdated and uncomfortable. These are newly invented riding clothes to offer comfort. My friend, Varrick, actually invented them.” He handed the clothes over. Asami was glad, because with the look at the clothes the castle gave her to ride in, it surely wouldn’t be comfortable.

“Thanks, Bolin!! You’re literally the best.” Asami cheered. More of a knight and shining armor than Mako would ever be. It was hard not to compare the two, and she couldn’t help it. She really hoped Mako would grow on her. 

“No problem. Are you nervous for your lessons?” Bolin asked.

“Honestly, yeah. Also a bit scared. You know how your sister is towards me..” Asami trailed off. It was hard not to be at least a little bit scared and intimidated by the princess. She had a stone cold demeanor, yet a confidence about her that Asami couldn’t help but admire. 

“She’s always like that with princesses. She’ll warm up eventually, you just gotta give her time. As cliche as that sounds.” Bolin laughed lightly. Everyone was saying that: “give her time.” She wouldn’t mind waiting if it meant Korra would open up to her, or even have the slightest attitude change. But that didn’t make waiting fun.

“I hope so, any embarrassing stories I can hold over her head?” She asked for ammunition, but she really just wanted an excuse to get more information on her. She wanted to know what Korra was like when she wasn’t so... ice princess. Yeah, that was a good description.

“Now that you mention it, there is one that immediately comes to mind.” Bolin smirks, knowing that Korra would hate for this story to get in Asami’s hands.

“Well when we were younger, Korra was obsessed with learning about the former avatars. She always had her nose in books about them. Kyoshi was her favorite.” Bolin paused, looking around, before resuming he sorry. Like he would find Korra hiding somewhere waiting to strike.

Asami loved learning about the avatars growing up. She remembered learning about Kysohi. She was a total badass. It kind of inspired Asami to get into fighting. Kyoshi lived before bending was outlawed, so she had free reign to kick some ass with her bending. Asami wondered what the avatar was like today. What they looked like. What they were doing with the power given to them. She secretly hoped the avatar would still be that beacon of hope, just hidden. Maybe the avatar was like some secret vigilante. That would be cool.

“Anyways, she would run around the house saying ‘I’m the avatar and you gotta deal with it’.” Bolin said in a high pitched voice, mimicking a young Korra.

“It was super funny.” Bolin laughed at the memory. She could imagine young Korra running around the castle pretending to be the avatar. The thought was quite adorable. She’s seen a few childhood pictures, passing by in the hallways. Maybe she could use this information to her advantage..

“That is valuable information, Bolin. Thank you for that. I will be using that.” Asami joked with an emphasis on ‘will’, but she most certainly planned on using it. Korra pretending to be the avatar? That’s priceless. Bolin eased backwards, about to leave.

“I’m happy to provide you with ammunition. I gotta get headed back to Opal before she yells at me for being late to our ‘hangout’.”

“Ohh sounds fun. Why not call it a date?” Asami wondered how the two managed to dance around the issue. They both clearly liked each other, so why not just come out and say it?

“Well technically it is just us hanging out. I haven’t gotten the nerve to ask her out.” Bolin rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Bolin, Opal adores you so much. I’m sure she would die to go on a date with you.” Asami started.

“Look... life’s too short and unpredictable to not make a move. If you want something, go get it. You never know what will happen at any given moment, so just ask her out. For all you know you might never get the chance to ask her again.” Bolin seemed to ponder on what Asami was saying for a good minute.

“You know... you’re right! You’re so right! I just need to buck up and ask her out.” Bolin cheered with new confidence, courtesy of Asami. 

“Go get em’ tiger.” Asami slapped Bolin on the shoulder in encouragement. He jogged off, but not without giving a thumbs up before he was out of sight. Asami laughed time herself at that goofball. 

She stepped back from the doorway and shut the door. T minus 15 minutes before her ultimate doom. Well, she was being overdramatic, but there was no telling how the lessons would play out after all. She flopped on her bed and stared at the ceiling. A longwinded sigh left her mouth. 

“Asami, you’re going to do great. You’re not going to mess this up. You’re going to be a natural.” Asami said to herself, hoping the pep talk would ease her nerves. 

She got up with a huff and slid on the new clothes Bolin gave her. Admittedly so, the were very comfy. A chill ran up her spine looking at the clothes the castle gave her to wear. At least Bolin was looking out for her. She couldn’t say the same about Mako.

She walked over to the mirror and restated her previous pep talk. If she said it enough, it had to come true. Right? 

-

Asami made her way to the stables and let herself in. There were a few stable hands busying themselves with work. Hay was scattered across the floor, so there was a younger boy sweeping it in a neat pile. His head shot up, probably sensing Asami’s presence.

“You must be Asami. I’m Kai, it’s nice to meet you.” Kai offered a warm smile. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Kai. Would you mind showing me where Korra is? I kind of have lessons with her.” He nodded and started walking away.

“Follow me this way.” Kai gestured a hand over his shoulder, letting her know to follow. 

Kai lead Asami to an open field just off the stable building. It outstretched for what looked like miles. In the distance she could see a fence line the perimeter. Her eyes scanned the field, stopping when she saw Korra. She was putting a saddle on a horse, not too far away.

“She’s right over there. I’ll let you get started.” Kai left with a nod. 

“Thank you.” Asami called back as Kai was leaving.

The way to Korra wasn’t too long of a walk, but she hoped she could approach her without gathering her attention. It would be awkward walking all that way with eyes on her. It’s like when someone holds a door for someone 30 feet away and the person just has to awkwardly walk the whole way there with eyes on them.

Asami made it halfway before Korra noticed her approaching. She thought it would be awkward, but the shorter princess quickly busied herself with fixing the saddle on the horse securely. 

Asami finally made it to Korra and the horse. Korra looked at her watch and shook her head. 

“Am I late?” Asami asked, already knowing the answer. There’s no way she was late. If anything, she was early.

“No” Korra looked her up and down slowly with her eyebrows raised.

“W- what are you wearing? I gave Mako clothes to give to you.” Korra said, seemingly frustrated.

“Bolin gave me these instead. He said his friend Varrick made them to be more comfortable.” Asami shrugged, trying to hide her disappointment. Did she really look that bad? Korra shook her head.

“Of course Varrick made those.” Korra rolled her eyes.

“Anyways, let’s get a move on and get this over with.” Korra motioned for her to mount the saddle. Asami hesitated, looking at the animal which was foreign to her. She inspected the horse, walking around it. How was one supposed to mount one of those things?

“So when you said you didn’t know how to ride, you really mean that, huh?” Korra chuckles to herself. This was so embarrassing. She didn’t even now how to climb onto the horse, so how was she going to learn how to ride?

“Face the saddle, bend your left knee, and stick it into the little foot hold.” Korra said like it was the easiest thing in the world. She did as she was told, but stopped for further directions. Before she could ask what came next, Korra flung her onto the saddle like it was nothing.

It took a second for Asami to regain her composure, as she was just flung onto a saddle. The action impressed her beyond belief. She guessed muscles like the ones Korra had were pretty useful. Just thinking about the muscles Korra had flustered her.

“Thanks for the warning.” Asami breathed, finally balanced on the saddle. A shy of a smirk lifted on Korra’s face. Of course she was amused by this.

“This is Appa by the way.” Korra scratched the large horse behind his ear.

“Appa, like Aang’s bison, Appa?” Asami perked up at the name.

“That’s the one. I do have to say I’m surprised you got the reference.” Korra said, genuinely shocked. There’s a few things about Asami that would surprise the shorter princess.

“I know my stuff.” Asami shrugged, trailing off. 

“You should of named him Pengpeng. After Kelsang’s sky bison. Avatar Kyoshi used his bison a lot for travel. Pengpeng is no Appa, but the name has a nice ring to it.” Korra’s previous neutral face slightly softened. This was one way to get to Korra, talk about stuff she wanted to talk about. Not that Asami didn’t want to talk about something so interesting.

“I gotta say you know your stuff. It’s impressive. I’ll keep the name Pengpeng in mind. Kyoshi is my favorite avatar.” Korra admitted. Asami’s face visibly brightened. She thought Korra would brush her off and continue the lessons, but she was actually responding back. Were her methods working to break down her walls?

“She’s my favorite, too! I did a project on her back in school. I found out tons of interesting facts about her. Although, my library back home was limited, so I only know so much about her.”

“I have a collection of books about her if you want to borrow them sometime.” That was it, that’s what she was hoping for. In that moment, she wasn’t guarded Korra, she was just Korra. This shared interest gave opportunity for further conversation down the line. She could work with that. This all surprised Asami, because she thought the lessons would be excruciating, but the lesson actually wasn’t that bad so far. 

“Yeah, I would like that.” Asami said softly with a smile.

“Okay, back on track. No more trying to stall.” Korra pointed sternly. Korra looked serious, but there was a small glint in her eyes that suggested she, too, didn’t entirely mind the off topic conversation.

Asami took this time to jam her feet in the stirrups. She half expected Appa to bolt at the movement, but he remained idle.

“Keep the stirrup on the ball of your foot.” Korra pulled her foot back a little. The movement surprised her. She wasn’t expecting hands on learning. She assumed teacher Korra and stone cold princess Korra were two different people. She was grateful for that.  
Korra stepped back, making sure her foot position was right. 

“Alright, now grip him with your knees.” Korra instructed. She gripped the horse, but wasn’t sure the amount of pressure she should be applying.

“Just like that, perfect.” Korra walked around the horse, taking in her form.

“Your legs come completely off his side when you do that, leaving you no control over him.”

Korra trailed off.

“Now quit gripping him and completely relax your legs. Use your calf and thigh muscles.” Korra inched closer, sticking a hand behind her thigh. The touch sent a jolt through her, leaving a familiar sensation. An inadvertent giggle escaped her lips. Was she trying to tickle her?

“Sorry, I’m not tying to tickle you.” Korra started, pressing firmly instead.

“This is where you want to build a lot of muscle. It’s not going to be easy.”

-

“Anything worth while is never easy.” Asami said, almost packed with some sort of meaning. The meaning behind that, Korra didn’t know.

“Ok, so stand up in your stirrups.” Korra ordered. She had to admit, being able to order around the princess was nice. She was at her mercy. Not that the power was going to her head.. well maybe just a little. 

“This will help you find your position. When you do this it forces you to put your lower legs in the correct position” Asami sat down with a huff. She looked exhausted, reminding Korra of when she, herself first learned how to ride. Thighs sore for months.

Seeing the princess before her struggle sort of humanized her in Korra’s eyes. At least just a little bit more. She started to see less and less of her princess side, and more of just a regular human. But, even then, she was still an entitled and prissy princess at the end of the day.

Korra let Appa out on a rope, allowing him to walk off. Asami sat up straight, shocked at the movement. It was clear she’s never been on a horse before, but she surprisingly had the correct posture.

“Yeah, that’s it. Sit up straight, but relax your hips.”

Korra planned on being more of a mean instructor, but it truly looked like Asami was trying her best. She may hate princess, but at least this one was putting in an effort. She made a mental note to try and not be as hard on her as an instructor. She did know how to separate teaching from her regular life.

Appa and Asami continued to walk around. Korra hated to say it, but the princess wasn’t doing too bad. Asami lost her position a bit and struggled to find it again. While that was happening, something in the distance came barreling towards them. Korra squinted her eyes to get a better look. It appeared to be Mako and two other men.

As they came closer, they didn’t slow down like any sane person would. Asami visibly straightened at the sight of him and waved. Mako grinned back. The fast approaching horses must have caused the dirt to pick up, because Appa was engulfed in a dust cloud, causing him to sneeze. This sudden movement caused Asami to lose balance, and fling her to the ground.

“Don’t move!” Korra yelled, running towards the coughing princess on the ground. It was quite the fall, so Korra had to make sure she was okay. As Korra reached her, she gently touched her shoulder.

“Go slow, not too fast. Gotta make sure everything’s still in tact.” Korra said with a different tone. A tone she wasn’t quite aware of the meaning, but it definitely wasn’t hatred. Almost concern? 

“I’m sorry” Asami huffed, accepting Korra’s offered hand. She saw a quick wince on her face as she got up slowly. Korra scoffed at the apology.

“Don’t be. It’s not like you caused this. It was my idiotic brother who either doesn’t know how to control his horse, or he wanted to show off.” Korra rolled her eyes at her brother’s antics.

“I still fell. If I was keeping the right position that wouldn’t have happened.” Asami said, frustration dripping from her voice.

“You’re a beginner, of course you fell.” Korra laughed, causing Asami to shoot an offended look.

“I mean at least you’re fine. You could’ve broken something.” With that, something changed in the princess across form her.

“That would surely allow me to get out of your hair. With a broken limb surely I wouldn’t be expected to attend anymore lessons.” Asami started. Some energy shifted, changing the mood. Something about Asami seemed different all of a sudden. 

“Gee princess trying to get rid of me?” Korra teased, throwing a hand over her heart, dramatically.

“Anyways, as much as I would love to have my afternoons free again, you need this. You need to learn.”

“This is stupid. I prefer cars over horses any day.” Asami frowned, dusting off her pants.

“Of course you do.” Korra muttered under her breath. 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Asami aggressively asked, stepping closer. Shock engulfed Korra’s face. Did she really say it that loud? Why was she being so touchy and easily offended?

“I think you know exactly what it means. You’re a prissy and entitled princess.” Korra scoffed, changing her mood to a more aggressive one.

“No I’m—“

“And you wouldn’t know hard work if it hit you in the face. I know your type, you’ve had everything handed to you, and everything’s easy and happy go lucky for you.” Korra cut her off. She was going in for the kill.

“You-“ Asami stepped closer, leaving merely inches separating them.

“— Don’t know a thing about me.” Asami snarled, poking a finger at her chest.

“You can’t just judge people based off of prior experience. Not very princess has to be the bad guy. You have no idea who i truly am because you are too busy assuming things about me.” The angry princess continued.

“Because Korra...” Asami filled the distance, reaching close to her ear.

“You don’t know me in the slightest.” Asami whispered in a low and challenging tone, slowly stepping back. The action sent warmth to unspeakable places. Korra shook off the feeling, remembering it was her turn to fire back.

“Please-“ Korra scoffed.

“I can read you like a book.”

“Get off your high horse.. Not everyone is as stone cold and guarded as you. Maybe if you got the chance to know me, you would know I’m none of those things you listed.”The princess slowly backed up. Looks like Korra finally pushed too far.

“You can’t leave. We still have thirty minutes left.” Korra yelled at the princess, who was storming off. No way was she skipping class.

“Watch me.” The taller woman barked, before walking further away. Deep down, her heart fell at the sight of her leaving.

“Just as I thought, walking away when things get tough.” Korra yelled, hoping to get the last word. With the looks at Asami not turning back, she got the last word.

Who did Asami think she was? Of course she knew her. What more was there to know anyways? She didn’t have to know her for years to know what she’s all about. Unless Asami was this amazing and kind person that Korra just couldn’t see because she was biased. Was she being the bad guy? No.. no.. Asami was, right? Korra would have to think about that one a bit more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, it actually means so much to me. You guys leaving lovely comments keeps me writing, even if I am a bit busy with school. Also, I have a 4-6 page informative essay coming up, so that’s gonna be oh so fun. I actually have no ideas, so if you have a topic idea that would be interesting to write about, please let me know :)  
> Thank you for sticking with me guys 🥰


	9. Third Times The Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra has a flashback revealing why she hates princesses so much. Kuvira, trying to defend her friend’s honor and character, tells Asami why Korra is the way that she is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Ok this chapter is a bit of a long flashback, but it’s crucial for the story. I tried my best to make the flashback interesting, but I am new to writing, so it was a tad difficult. I really want to thank you guys for sticking with my story, it means a lot. Also I got so caught up in the story that I almost forgot to do this explanation/backstory regarding why Korra hates princesses, but the reader, Rasdaw, reminded me by asking a question about it, so thanks!!

“What’s up with you?” Kuvira entered the stables, almost giving Korra a heart attack.

“Nothing, just had a little quarrel with the princess.” Korra sighed, whipping down a few saddles. 

“You’re literally teaching her how to ride. How do you possibly make an argument out of that?” Kuviraasked in disbelief. She doubted her ability to create an argument out of thin air.

“Oh she makes it easy.” Korra groans.

“Why are you so hard on her anyways? I can’t see her being anything other than kind, amazing, beautiful,” Kuvira trailed off, before Korra stopped her.

“Okay lovebird, I’m gonna stop you there.” Korra put her hand out to stop her. Yes, Korra had to admit Asami was ‘beautiful’, but she didn’t want to hear Kuvira ramble on about it.

“And you know why.” Korra narrowed her eyes.

“I know you have a bad past with princesses,” Kuvira’s voice took on a sincere and empathetic tone. 

“But they’re not all the same.” 

Curse Korra’s mind, because the mention of her “princess past” sent her rolling back down memory lane. Something she loved to do every now and then, kept her the guarded person she was with princesses and unfamiliar people. Kept her on her feet. Plus it gave her a good, quick cry sesh every now and then. 

Korra remembered it like it was yesterday, her second terrible interaction with another princess. While the first one hit her hard, the second one was worse. Her name was Azalea of Hayward. Korra met her at the annual princess party Republia throws. 

_At the time, Korra was thrilled, to an extent.To be placed in a room with countless pretty girls was a dream. Korra hadn’t had much luck in the whole relationship department, at the time, so she’d hoped the party would offer an opportunity. Maybe she’d meet the girl of her dreams. Anyways, out of all the girls there, at least one would have to catch her attention. It’s math._

_Korra checked her appearance again in the mirror for good measure. She shook her head in disbelief. Since when was she this vain?_

_“Korra, sweetheart, you look great. Don’t you worry, I’m sure you’ll make quite the impression.” Senna dropped a kiss on Korra’s cheek._

_“I really hope so, mom. I really want to meet a nice person.” Korra sighed, plopping in a nearby chair. Senna followed suit, and sat adjacent to her._

_“I know, honey. You’ll find the right person someday. Whether it be at the princess ball, or some other time.” Her mom reassured her. Korra came out as bi to her family a few years back, and she was so happy they were so accepting. She thought for sure she would be disowned, kicked to the streets, or worse. Her mind liked to over exaggerate when she was nervous. Her family accepted her with open arms and no judgment. Bolin even tried being her wingman out in the town, but turns out he wasn’t great at it. Although, there were some not so accepting people in Republia._

_“Thanks, mom! I really hope so” Korra smiled. Her mom always knew what to say._

_“I should get going, before I’m late.” She looked at her watch._

_Korra hugged her mom goodbye, before departing. She trailed down the hallway, surprisingly running into Kuvira._

_“There you are! Let’s go before all the pretty girls get taken.” Kuvira joked. Korra was hesitant to go after another princess after her previous girlfriend, who was a princess, cheated on her. She started to hate princess, but she figured her ex was just a bad egg out of the carton. Now if by some rare chance she was cheated on again by a princess, then she would secure a hatred for princesses._

_Even though Kuvira wasn’t a princess, Korra invited her along. Kuvira promised to help her find a princess to date. In addition, she also would get the opportunity to attend the playing field._

_“You look good by the way.” Kuvira wiggles her eyebrows, holding open the door to the party. Korra shook her head at her friend with a soft chuckle._

_“So do you Kuvi” Korra teased. She knew she hated that nickname._

_Walking in Korra’s was awestruck at the sight. There were so many eligible girls.. well that’s actually where the problem came in. How would she know which princesses liked girls, too? She talked to Kuvira about it ealrlier, and she said people give off a certain “vibe”, whatever that meant. Maybe she didn’t have the gift of telling if someone liked girls by their vibe, like Kuvira did._

_“Let’s get some drinks first.”_

_The pair walked over to the drink table, which had a fairly short line. The girl in front of them turned to them to talk._

_“I heard someone spiked the punch.” The woman, who appeared to be her age, said, in a hushed tone._

_“Really!?” Kuvira’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief._

_“Looks like we got some rebel princesses on our hands.” Korra joked, looking towards the new face._

_“I’m Suva, by the way.” She extends a hand out. Korra took it in a firm, but quick handshake._

_“My friend is around here somewhere, but I’m sure you’ll run into her.” Suva offered, before it was her turn at the punch bowl._

_“It was nice meeting you” Korra calls after Suva walks away with a nod._

_Korra and Kuvira get themselves a cup of punch. With the taste of it, Suva wasn’t lying about the punch being spiked._

_They walked away from the punch table to proceed to the floor. Mission ‘Find Korra a date’ was ago._

_“What’s the gameplay?” Korra asked, turning around to scan the room._

_“What about her?” She points to a shorter, dark haired princess. She had on a dress with a pink tint to it._

_“She looks straight.” Kuvira chuckled. This puzzled Korra, but sure enough what looked like her boyfriend came up and wrapped his arms around her waist. There were a few guys here and there, as everyone was allowed a plus one._

_“How can someone look bi or lesbian, Kuvira? And isn’t that kind of offensive?” Korra asked, puzzled._

_“It’s not in a offensive way, it’s just a certain air some people give off. You can’t just go up and ask, so you have to take in their vibe instead.” Kuvira explained, finishing off her punch. Since when was Kuvira the expert on this? They were both bi, so why did Kuvira know so much more?_

_“Do I give off an ‘air’” Korra asked, following in her footsteps, and finishing off her punch._

_“Yes, yes you do.” Kuvira slapped her affectionately on the shoulder. Korra smiled at that._

_“I’m gonna get us more.” Kuvira nodded in the direction of the punch._

_“Okay, be back quick. I need your ‘all knowing gaydar’, as you call it.” Kuvira gave a thumbs up, before walking off. Korra felt the sudden urge to pee, as she drank a little before coming. Just to calm her nerves._

_She quickly walked towards the bathroom, so she could get back in time to meet Kuvira. If she made her wait too long, she would start her own quest in finding a girl._

_Korra must have not been paying attention, because a girl ran into her, just before she left the room. The drink in the stranger’s hand left the cup, heading directly for her direction. Korra was seconds away from using her water bending. She’s glad she didn’t, but unfortunately, it made contact with her chest._

_Korra looked down in fear. That wouldn’t be coming out, even with waterbending. A stain is a stain. She looked up to see two wide, amber eyes. A hand quickly slapped against the woman’s mouth in embarrassment._

_“I am so sorry!” The woman shrieked. She reached her hand forward, but withdrew it. She took a second to think, before she took Korra’s hands, leading her away from the room._

_“Here, come with me.” The girl dragged her to the bathroom. Surprisingly it was quite empty, besides a few girls in the stalls, it looked like. The slightly shorter princess with dark brown hair reached for the paper towels. Korra was going to tell her it was a lost cause, and that she could just change, but the woman looked like she was on a mission._

_“I’m Azalea by the way. Princess of Hayward.” The girl reached for one last paper towel._

_“Like the flower?” Korra smiles, what a pretty name._

_“Like the flower-“ Azalea started, before reaching out._

_“Here” Azalea patted a few paper towels on the stained area. She looked up into Korra eyes._

_“I’m sorry about this, I can be kind of clumsy.”_

_“It’s totally fine. I’m known to be quite clumsy, too.” Korra smiled. Looking in those amber eyes, she was done for._

_“I’m Korra by the way.” This must have just clicked for the girl, as her eyes widened._

_“Oh of course I spill punch on the hosting princess.” Azalea covers her face in embarrassment._

_“Hey, hey it’s fine. I can just change anyways.” She reminded her. She was not too far from her bedroom, anyways._

_“Well I’ll leave you to it. It was nice meeting you, Korra. Sorry about the-“_

_“Do you want to help me pick out a dress?” Korra blurted._

_“I mean I would ask my friend Kuvira, but she’s probably long gone by know.” Korra explained quickly. The girl hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea or not. Korra was going to take it back, before Azalea nodded._

_“Sure, I mean it’s only fair that I help you out.”_

_“True, you do kind of owe me.” Korra joked._

_“I’m teasing by the way, I honestly don’t like this dress anyways.” She hoped that would make Azalea feel better. By the looks of her face, it worked a little._

_They made their way to Korra’s room in a comfortable silence. There was some sort of energy between them that Korra couldn’t read. Oh what she would give to have Kuvira’s stupid gaydar thing._

_Korra opened her door and walked over to her wardrobe. She flicked through the few dresses she had. She didn’t have too many, as she hated dresses._

_“You should wear this one.” Azalea offered, pointing to a dark blue dress. She couldn’t refuse her suggestion, so she caved. Blue dress it is!_

_Korra turned to look at the princess, and she came face to face with her. She didn’t realize how close she was at first, but now they were mere inches away. She searched her eyes, looking for some sort of sign._

_“You think so?” She asked, still searching her eyes. Azalea’s amber eyes, in turn, searched Korra’s face, stopping just at her lips. She stayed there for a good few seconds, before reaching her eyes again. Was that the sign Korra was looking for? Before she had time to ponder, hungry lips met hers in a rush. While Korra had kissed her fair share of people, kissing Azalea felt different. It was like getting caught in the rain, but in a good way. Risk that made you feel alive. A weird example, but it was accurate. Korra loved the soft, but rushed kiss. Wanting to further the kiss, she snuck her tongue in. At the movement, Azalea’s hands pulled Korra closer by the waist, while Korra snaked a hand through her hair. This... this was heaven. She could die happily now._

_Before things got any further, the door opened. She knew it was Kuvira without even looking up because she was the only other person who didn’t knock. She, too, got a kick of catching people by surprise._

_Korra quickly stepped away, looking up to find, in fact, Kuvira. Her face looked like she was holding back a smirk._

_“Finally, I was looking everywhere for you. Who is this?” Kuvira asked, raising her eyebrows. There was a hidden question in that expression that Korra knew from years of friendship. She nodded in reply to Kuvira. Yes, she managed to ‘secure the bag’, according to Kuvira.Well, at least she thought._

_“This is Azalea.” Korra motioned towards her._

_“Azalea, this is Kuvira, my friend I was talking about earlier.” Korra motioned to Kuvira. An awkward energy filled the room, which Kuvira seemed to feel._

_“Well it was nice to meet you, Azalea. I just wanted to make sure if you were okay, Korra. I’m gonna go hit the floor” Kuvira smirked, now it was her turn. The door shut, leaving Korra staring questionably towards Azalea. Was that just in the heat of the moment, or did Azalea actually like her?_

_Azalea’s hand caressed Korra’s cheek softly. She pulled her closer to her body, looking down for approval. Azalea nodded in response. She was about to say a quick and witty remark, but she was cut short with lips crashing against hers. She wasn’t used to the person she was kissing to be so bold._

_Azalea’s hand fought it’s way through Korra’s hair, pressing her deeper into the kiss. She released a soft sigh at the movement, melting deeper into the kiss. She could definitely get used to this. Korra gently bit her bottom lip, which in offered a quiet moan from Azalea. Korra couldn’t help but smirk into the kiss._

_Azalea pushed Korra against the wall, something she wasn’t expecting. But with the looks of it, Azalea was filled with surprises. Their lips met again, with a deeper intensity. It wasn’t a rushed kiss, but a slow and passionate kiss. One that left your knees wobbly. The feeling Korra had, felt like she was on fire. She took a quick glance at her hand her hands to make sure that wasn’t the case. Korra switched the positions in a quick move, liking being in control._

_Azalea seemed to have taken this opportunity to check her out, as her eyes were trailing up her body. Her eyes quickly stopped at her chest, and she looked away embarrassed. This confused Korra. She followed where her eyes just were, and she realized what they actually came in here for, to change. A sheepish look engulfed Korra’s face._

_“I guess I kind of got ahead of myself. We should probably get back to the party before a search party comes to look for me.” Korra said, hating to end the little make out session they had going on._

_“Yeah, we sort of rushed into things.” Azalea agreed_

_-_

_Since that night, Korra fell deeply. It wasn’t love yet, but it was something not too far off from love. From the way Azalea smiled when she was tired, to the way she stayed up late to talk to her, to the way she looked at her so softly, but intently when they were talking. Everything about Azalea amazed Korra. Azalea even managed to convince her parents to let her stay for another week before leaving, so Korra set out to soak up every single moment._

_And soak up every moment she did. With the week they had left, they were inseparable. Kisses were had. Promises of an actual relationship were had. A long distance one, but still a relationship nonetheless. This filled Korra with a happiness she hadn’t experienced in such a long time, finally being able to have someone like Azalea to call her’s. She’s had relationships before, but never any with such a connection._

_After Azalea finally had to leave, her feelings never faltered. If anything, they grew deeper. Now sending letters, Korra knew more about Azalea now than she knew about any other relationship partner. Months past, five agonizing months to be exact. Korra longed to see her face, to hear her voice, to kiss her.She missed her more than she though was possible. Man was she a pathetic, in love, sap._

-

_Azalea, after what felt like an eternity, was finally coming to visit today, and Korra couldn’t be happier. It’s been too long since she’s seen her. The thought of being able to see Azalea again kept her motivated all those long months._

_Azalea made her way up to Korra with a smile plastered to her face. Korra would’ve ran to her if she didn’t want to seem desperate. As soon as they met, Korra scooped her in a hug that lifted her off the ground._

_“I missed you.” Korra spoke into the crook of her neck, smiling like an idiot._

_“I missed you too.” Azalea hugged back tighter._

_“So it just so happens that tonight there’s a party at the dining hall. I didn’t specify what it was for, but it’s really for you.” Korra says, breaking apart from the hug. Azalea eyes soften, with a smile stretched across her face._

_“Korra, you shouldn’t have.”_

_“Nonsense, now let’s go catch up. I’m sure lotshave things have changed.”_

_After hours of talking, making out, and cuddling, they fell asleep. Azalea really took Korra’s life by storm.The feelings she had for her were so strong, and even a bit overwhelming. She definitely would say she was in love._

_-_

_“Come on, it’s time for the party.” Korra dragged Azalea’s hand, and rushed her over to the dresser. Azalea sighed, pouting her lip out._

_“Can’t I just lay here in bed with you all day?”_

_“As much as I would love that,” Korra smiled, wrapping her arms around her waist, pulling her closer._

_“The party is already set in stone. I can’t just abandon the party.” Korra chuckled._

_“Fine, but I’m not going to dance.” Azalea made it clear, she wanted nothing to do with dancing._

_“We’ll see about that.” Korra leaned in closer, kissing Azalea with a kiss so soft and loving. Boy did she miss Azalea. Korra broke free from the kiss, looking at her with an affectionate look._

_“Hey.” Korra whispered, almost soft enough for Azalea not to hear._

_“Hi?” Azalea chuckled._

_“I have something to tell you, and I wanted to tell you before the party.” Korra led her to the edge of the bed to sit. She gently took the princess by the hand, and held it. Looking deep in her eyes, she knew that feeling had to be love. There was no doubt about it. Korra didn’t want to do it like this, but she didn’t want to wait any longer. It was now or never. Well, she could always tell her later, but she wanted to do it now!_

_“I know we haven’t really known each other all that long. I also know we’ve been together for such a short time, but...” Korra paused, shaking her head with a smile._

_“You’re just so amazing, so kind, so funny, so..” Korra was interrupted by Azalea._

_“As much as I love hearing about how amazing I am, where is this going?” Azalea questioned, with raised eyebrows. Azalea may have been a lot of things, but patient wasn’t one of them._

_“I.. I love you.” Korra finally said, searching her eyes. This was it, this was the moment she would say it back. This is the moment she has been waiting for all those long months._

_“And I want to be with you all the time.”_

_“I..” Azalea paused for what seemed like an eternity, before the door busted open._

_“I was sent to get you. You really can’t be late when you’re the one throwing the party.” Kuvira barged in, smiling to Azalea as a greeting._

_“Nice to see you, Azalea.” Her smiled seemed forced though, which was weird. Something was off._

_“Ugh fine.” Korra rolled her eyes dramatically._

_“I’m off to my room to get ready, but I’ll meet you there, okay?” Korra kissed her goodbye. She really wished Azalea would’ve responded to her declaration of love. Way to leave a girl handing._

_Korra and Kuvira made their way to the party. They had to get there a bit early to make sure everything was in place. After all, she did plan the part._

_“Hey, uhh.. I see you and Azalea have gotten pretty close.” Kuvira drags on, awkwardly. Why was she being so weird?_

_“Yeah, I told her I loved her.” Kuvira’s eyes sparkled with pure happiness._

_“That’s great Korra, just listen..” Kuvira looked around, before continuing._

_“I have a really bad feeling about her.. somethings off. Before she left I heard a hushed conversation containing the words ‘Mako’, ‘alliance’, and ‘using’. I’m not exactly sure what it all meant, as I only got pieces of the conversation. It couldn’t have been good, though.” Kuvira admitted. That didn’t make any sense. What ever Kuvira was implying was clearly wrong._

_“What exactly are you saying?” Korra squinted her eyes, ready for an argument. Kuvira has been her friend for a long time, but there’s no way she would stand by when Azalea was being accused._

_“I’m not saying anything specific, just be careful.”_

_“I think you’re just jealous.” Korra retorted, laughing coldly._

_“Me jealous... you wish. Sorry Korra, but that little fling we had years back was just that, a fling. You’re just a best friend to me, a best friend I’m trying to look out for.” Kuvira let out, before she stormed of. Some nerve of her to accuse Azalea of using her to get closer to the throne, and just run off like that. What has gotten into her?_

_People started arriving just then, and it was hard to keep track. She hadn’t seen Azalea yet, which was weird. She did spot Bolin though._

_“Hey, Bo, have you seen Azalea?”_

_“No, I haven’t. You two seem pretty close.” Bolin smiled his famous ear to ear smile, while wiggling his eyebrows. He was always so supportive when it came to Korra and her relationships._

_“Yeah, I told her I loved her.” Korra beamed, before it was replaced with a frown._

_“She didn’t exactly have a chance to say it back, though.” Korra admitted. What if she doesn’t say it back? What if she doesn’t love her? What then?_

_“I’m sure she will, just give her time.” Bolin patted Korra’s shoulder affectionately. Korea hoped he was right._

_ “I gotta find Opal. It was nice seeing you, Azalea.” Bolin smiled, before walking off. _

_While the party started maybe ten minutes ago, Korra couldn’t find Azalea anywhere. She looked in Azalea’s room, in her own room, in the conference room, and in the garden. She huffed walking to the library door, she was getting restless. The door was already open, so she walked in. She scanned the room, before her eyes fell on two people.They were facing away from her, making out.Thinking that was gross, Korra turned away.It all happend quickly, until she heard her name._

_“You can’t tell Korra.” A familiar voice plead. Was that.. Mako? Tell her what? She almost spoke aloud, but she wanted to get a good scope of the situation before doing so. Maybe if she listened for longer, she could figure out what was going on._

_“I think we have to at some point. I like you, Mako. I want to be with you.” Another familiar voice said. Wait.. the dress.. The dress looked awfully similar to Azalea’s. No, it couldn’t be.._

_“A.. Azalea” The two bodies whipped around with wide eyes. She experienced a million emotions at once, but what she felt most was gullible. It clicked just then, Azalea was using her to get to Mako. Kuvira was right, and it all made sense. How could she fall for someone who would cheat on her.. again... and use her? And of all people, another princess.._

_“What are you doing Azalea?” Korra asked, fighting back tears. No way would she give her the satisfaction of seeing her cry._

_“It’s not what you think. It was a mistake.” Azalea gave the cliche response._

_“And of all the people to cheat with, you cheat with my brother? And you, how could you do this to me, Mako?” Korra couldn’t fight back the tears anymore. Is this what a broken heart feels like? She stormed off, leaving the cheater behind._

_“Korra wait!” Azalea ran after her in a plea. Korra whipped around, tears replaced with anger._

_“No, we’re done. I want you gone from Republia, and don’t come back. I can’t believe I ever believed your stupid act. This whole time you only wanted to weasel your way into Mako’s arms.” Korra felt sick just thinking about it._

_“Korra I meant to be honest from the start, but..” Korra stopped her stupid excuse right then and there._

_“I don’t want to hear your stupid excuses. I want you gone. I can’t believe I got mad at Kuvira when she was right all along.” Korra sighed. Azalea seemed to take the hint, and started walking off, before turning around one last time._

_“I did love you, I mean I still do.” Azalea said in a low voice, almost a whisper. The nerve of this princess..._

_“No.. no you don’t get to do that.” Korra’s voice broke._

_“You don’t get to make me fall in love with you, just for you to cheat and break my heart. Most of all you don’t get to say you loved me, because if you did..” Korra covered her mouth to muffle the sobs. Any other moment and she wouldn’t be caught dead crying like that._

_“You wouldn’t have cheated. You wouldn’t have used me. Now leave and never come back.” Korra pointed toward the door. Azalea was about to protest, but she must’ve decided she’s done enough damage already. Footsteps approached behind Korra, and she turned around. It was Kuvira._

_“Korra, what’s wrong!?” Kuvira closed the distance, placing her hands on her shoulders._

_“You were right.” Korra whispered through tears. She could hear the muffled music in the background, giving the whole situation an eerie effect._

_“About what, Azalea?” Kuvira questioned._

_“Yeah, and I caught her making out with Mako to top it all off” Korra shook her head with a laugh._

_“I can’t believe I fell for this again. What are the odds that I’ve been cheated on twice by princesses.” Korra scoffed._

_“Well they’re stupid assholes who don’t know when they have something amazing right in front of them. They’re stupid if they would give you up like that, you’re a total catch.” Kuvira rubbed her arm. If Korra didn’t friendzone her years back, she would melt on sight. Kuvira always had her back, whether Korra wanted her to or not._

_“Maybe I’m cursed.”_

_“No, you just have bad luck. Don’t worry I’ll find you a nice princess. An actual nice one who isn’t a cheater.” Kuvira hugged Korra. She needed that. She sank into the hug, shaking her head in reply._

_“I’m done with princesses.”_

_“What, why? Isn’t third time the charm?” Kuvira asked, probably trying to lighten the mood._

_“There will not be a third princess in my future.” Korra refused to let herself be played by yet another princess. They were all the same deep down, despite the stupid acts they put on to hide it._

_“Well come on then, let’s leave this stupid party.” Kuvira nudged Korra with her shoulder, almost knocking her down._

_“Okay.” Korra didn’t know where they were going, but all she knew is that she didn’t want to be in the castle right now._

_“I’m gonna beat that kid’s ass.” Kuvira muttered, passing the library in which Mako was still in, processing what just happened.. Like he was the one who needed to process things..._

-

“I know you have a bad past with princesses, but they’re not all the same.”

“Yes, a major reason I don’t liked her is because she’s a princess. And they all _are_ the same, and you can’t tell me I’m wrong.” Korra pointed.

“You’re wrong.” Kuvira fired back.

“Korra, you can’t just generalize princesses. I mean are you like all the other princesses you think you have figured out?”

“No.” Korra mumbled.

“So what makes you think Asami is like that?” Kuvira folded her arms, proud of her argument.

“I just know. I don’t want to be around her. You know I don’t have much luck when it comes to being around princesses.”

“Listen, I get why you hate her..

“I don’t hate her per say, I just don’t like her and want nothing to do with her.” Korra shrugged.

“Listen maybe give Asami..”

“Give Asami what.” Asami walked in, causing both Korra and Kuvira to jump. Kuvira laughed nervously.

“What are you a spy ninja?” Kuvira said, with a hand over her chest, catching her breath.

“If I told you, I would have to kill you.” Asami said in a serious tone, but ended it off with a smile.

“We were just talking about how amazing you are.” Kuvira shrugged nonchalantly. Korra’s eyes went big.

“We were absolutely not.” Korra waved her hands.

-

“So what _were_ you guys talking about?” Asami narrowed her eyes at Kuvira. She would be easy to crack.

“Enough of what we were talking about.” Kuvira waved off the topic.

“Let me formally introduce myself.I’m Kuvira.” Asami took her outstretched hand in a shake.

“Well it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard lots of great things about you.. like your love of poetry.” Asami teased, causing Korra to muffle a laugh. Did she just make Korra laugh? Write that one down. *Teasing Kuvira makes Korra laugh*

“Pfft who told you that, was it Opal?”

“I’m sworn to secrecy.” Asami raised her hands in defense.

“Anyways, Korra, I just wanted to talk about what happened earlier. I may have overreacted. But It looks like you two were in the middle of something, so I’ll leave you to it.” Asami walked off, before Kuvira stopped her

“Hey, actually I was just leaving. I’m getting some dinner if you want to come with?” Kuvira smiled charmingly. She had to admit it was tempting.

“Uhh sure, why not? Korra I’ll see you tomorrow. Sorry about earlier, but you have to admit we were both at fault somewhat.” Asami called back, almost reaching the exit.

“Wait!” Korra practically yelled. Asami hid the smile as she turned around. Was she telling her to wait?

“What is it now, loser?” Kuvira joked.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Korra raised her eyebrows.

“Uh Korra I’m not gonna give you a kiss good-“

“Nope..” Korra stopped her, quickly.

“Not what I meant.” Korra clarified. Those two sure loved to tease each other left and right.

“Remember I told you earlier about our..” She hesitated, looking over to Asami, and back to Kuvira.

“Uhh meeting? I got everything done early so I could have enough time to go out with you.” A frown fought its way on her face. Asami really felt out of the loop.

“Can’t we take a rain check until tomorrow?”

“Kuvira, it’s fine.You should go with Korra, since she’s been planning this. I wouldn’t want to impose on those plans.”

“I actually only have an hour until work, so I don’t have enough time to go our usual.. meeting place. And, well our meetings usually last longer than that.” Kuvira sighed. What meetings did they have?

“I’ll make it up to you. We can go the day after tomorrow.” Asami noticed the frown left Korra’s face, replaced with a fake smile. The smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Sounds good. Have fun on your little date, Kuvi.” Korra rolled her eyes, looking from Kuvira to Asami.

“What was that about?” Asami whispered, as they left the stables.

She was beyond confused. It’s like they were speaking in code words, which would be suspicious if they were. That would mean they were up to something.

“It’s a long story.” Kuvira sighed.

They walked the entire way to the castle in silence. It wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, but she would’ve liked some conversation.

“Hey..” Kuvira halted as they neared the door. 

“Hi?” Asami said curiously. What was she up to?

“Uhh I just wanted to say I’m not a total jerk. I know it looks that way by me blowing Korra off. I just needed to talk to you.. well about her.” Kuvira let out awkwardly. Well.. not where she though that was going.

“About Korra?”

“Yeah, let’s just get inside and we can talk.” Kuvira held the door open.

They made their way to the kitchen, which was empty. Kuvira went straight for the fridge, while Asami took a seat.

Kuvira made it back to the table with her arms full. She placed the snacks and drinks down, before offering a quick smile.

“I’m hungry.” Kuvira stated the obvious.

“Hi, Hungry, I’m Asami.” She had to. It’s her sworn duty to reply that way whenever given the opportunity.

“I-“ Kuvira laughed softly. She liked seeing softie Kuvi. Should she call her that?

“So what about Korra?” Asami immediately got back on track, trying to get to the point.

“Well I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of times about how she hates princesses?” Kuvira questioned. Asami offered a nod in reply.

“I know it’s not my place to say this, but I’m only letting you in on this info because I can tell you’re different—“

“You’re not like the others.” Kuvira looked at her softly. The others?

“Anyways, so basically...” Kuvira went on to explain the Azalea history, and well why Korra is the way she is with princesses.It did make total sense why she acted so guarded. Asami totally sympathized with her, and the thought that Mako would participate in cheating made her sick to her stomach. That was who she was going to marry? She wanted to kick his ass and never speak to him again, but princess duties and all that. She hated being a princess now more than ever..

“So that happened just a year ago, but..”

“A year ago!?” Asami exclaimed. No wonder Korra was so harsh, it was a fresh wound that probably wasn’t healed yet.

“Yeah, and a year or two before that the same thing happened, but instead of the princess cheating with Mako, she cheated with some random girl in town.” Kuvira sighed, trailing off. It’s almost like it hurt Kuvira just as much as it hurt Korra. They did seem close like that. 

“And then Korra actually caught them in bed together.” Asami’s eyes widened. That must have been heart breaking.

The whole brooding and stone cold act Korra had made perfect sense, especially around her, a princess. While she wished Korra would’ve told her about her unfortunate history herself, it was important Asami knew this information. Otherwise, she may have started to take it out on Korra by giving her the same attitude back. But knowing this now, it only fueled Asami to change Korra’s mind and show her how she can be good for her. How she can be there for her. And after all, isn’t third time the charm? Even if it wasn’t the same relationship circumstances as before, Asami would make it her mission to prove to Korra there’s still good princesses out there. To prove to her that she can be good for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave some comments if you want :)) Also this chapter was like soooo long, so forgive any mistakes. I could only read it so many times before going crazy 😂I’ll try to give some more Korrasami scenes next chapter.


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